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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. mate — a partner
  3. mate — a friend
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. court — of a king
  7. kid — to tease
  8. branch — a division
  9. bank — for money
  10. track — a path
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bank — of a river
  14. court — for sport
  15. club — a group
  16. mate — to breed
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bank — for money
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kid — child
  21. track — to keep track
  22. track — a song
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. court — of law

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