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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'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. suit — clothes
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. suit — in cards
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. ground — crushed
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. court — of a king
  10. branch — a division
  11. fork — in a road
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. suit — to fit
  14. court — of law
  15. ground — a position
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. court — for sport
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. ground — the earth
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. cue — a signal
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. cue — for pool

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