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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pop — music
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. sharp — clever
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. fine — all right
  8. saw — the tool
  9. saw — the tool
  10. court — of a king
  11. branch — a division
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. court — of law
  14. staff — employees
  15. pop — to visit
  16. staff — a stick
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. pop — soda
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. staff — employees
  24. fine — high quality

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