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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 124 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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. net — for catching
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — in sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. cue — for pool
  8. court — of a king
  9. kick — in football
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. net — after costs
  12. branch — a division
  13. spring — of water
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. cue — a hint
  16. court — for sport
  17. cue — a signal
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. court — of law
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. spring — the season

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