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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. game — wild animals
  6. key — the most important part
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. court — for sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. key — in music
  13. court — of a king
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. game — a match
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. coach — pulled by horses
  18. sharp — clever
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. key — for a lock
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. branch — a division

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