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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. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  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. wave — a sudden rise
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. net — for catching
  5. shower — rain
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. court — for sport
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. court — of a king
  14. game — wild animals
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. wave — of the sea
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. shower — to wash
  20. net — in sport
  21. game — a match
  22. branch — a division
  23. net — after costs
  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