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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. court — for sport
  5. rest — what's left
  6. present — a gift
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. rest — what's left
  9. present — the time now
  10. track — to keep track
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. court — of law
  13. court — of a king
  14. branch — a division
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rest — a break
  18. rush — hurry
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. present — there
  21. bass — low music
  22. bass — the fish
  23. track — a path
  24. track — a song

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