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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. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. charge — electricity
  3. branch — a division
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. charge — a price
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fine — high quality
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. bat — the animal
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. fine — all right
  19. bear — the animal
  20. charge — in control
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. court — of a king
  23. mine — for digging
  24. bear — to put up with

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