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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. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. court — of law
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. band — a music group
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. degree — from a university
  9. cue — for pool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. kick — in football
  12. court — for sport
  13. cue — a hint
  14. band — a ring
  15. cue — a signal
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. court — of a king
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. degree — an amount
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pass — a permit

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