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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. spring — of water
  3. cue — for pool
  4. track — to keep track
  5. court — for sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. charge — electricity
  8. track — a song
  9. spring — the season
  10. charge — a price
  11. cue — a signal
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. track — a path
  16. charge — in control
  17. bound — obliged
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. cue — a hint
  21. spring — a coil
  22. bound — certain
  23. court — of a king
  24. fan — a supporter

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