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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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. content — happy
  3. ground — crushed
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bound — tied together
  6. bound — certain
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. saw — the tool
  9. court — of law
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stock — shares
  13. stock — goods
  14. content — the amount
  15. ground — a position
  16. court — of a king
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. court — for sport
  19. branch — a division
  20. ball — a great time
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. ground — the earth
  24. saw — the tool

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