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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 124 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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. court — of law
  3. hand — in cards
  4. court — for sport
  5. toast — bread
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. pop — to visit
  10. spell — a short time
  11. hand — help
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. spell — letters
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. court — of a king
  17. spell — magic
  18. pop — soda
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. branch — a division
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. pop — music

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