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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. The light ________________ burned out.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. hand — in cards
  4. branch — a division
  5. bulb — for light
  6. chip — to eat
  7. degree — temperature
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chip — for betting
  10. court — of law
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. chip — in a computer
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. court — for sport
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. degree — an amount
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. hand — help
  21. degree — from a university
  22. bulb — for light
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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