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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. land — to come down
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. court — for sport
  6. club — for dancing
  7. stem — to come from
  8. court — of a king
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. key — for a lock
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. land — ground
  15. key — the most important part
  16. club — for golf
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. pass — a permit
  20. key — in music
  21. pitch — completely
  22. club — a group
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. land — a country

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