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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 124 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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. I'll be taking the ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. deal — to handle
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. hand — in cards
  8. deal — an agreement
  9. wake — a trail
  10. chair — a leader
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. branch — a division
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. tube — the underground
  17. hand — help
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. rush — hurry
  22. court — of a king
  23. tube — a container
  24. court — for sport

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