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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mark — a trace
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. wound — an injury
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. court — of a king
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. staff — employees
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. court — of law
  16. branch — a division
  17. staff — employees
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. mark — a grade
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pit — in a race
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. fork — in a road

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