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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. fall — the season
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — a division
  7. hand — help
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. court — for sport
  12. court — of law
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fall — to drop
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. fall — to drop
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. fine — all right
  20. bat — the animal
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. fine — high quality
  23. hand — in cards
  24. branch — of a bank

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