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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. branch — a division
  4. bat — the animal
  5. club — a group
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. staff — a stick
  8. club — for golf
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — for dancing
  13. field — farmland
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. field — for sport
  16. bank — for money
  17. bank — for money
  18. field — a subject
  19. bank — of a river
  20. staff — employees
  21. court — for sport
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. court — of a king

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com