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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. race — humankind
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. ball — a great time
  7. staff — employees
  8. branch — a division
  9. race — a contest
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. net — after costs
  13. pitch — completely
  14. staff — employees
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. staff — a stick
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. court — of a king
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. ball — a dance
  21. net — in sport
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. race — the arms race
  24. cabinet — ministers

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