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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. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — a division
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. foot — a measure
  6. net — after costs
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. club — a group
  11. court — for sport
  12. net — in sport
  13. board — a committee
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. court — of a king
  16. net — for catching
  17. court — of law
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. board — to get on
  20. land — ground
  21. club — for dancing
  22. land — to come down
  23. land — a country
  24. club — for golf

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