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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — a grade
  3. hand — in cards
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. hand — help
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pound — a weight
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. branch — a division
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mark — a trace
  15. court — for sport
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. cell — a phone
  21. court — of a king
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — the underground
  24. racket — a loud noise

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