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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 office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. staff — employees
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. mark — a trace
  5. rest — what's left
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. shower — a meteor shower
  8. staff — a stick
  9. court — for sport
  10. staff — employees
  11. branch — a division
  12. shower — to wash
  13. shower — rain
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bound — obliged
  16. mark — a grade
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of a king
  19. bound — certain
  20. rest — a break
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. bound — tied together
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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