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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. ball — a dance
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. craft — boats
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. season — in sport
  9. craft — a skill
  10. chip — to eat
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. ball — a great time
  13. season — of the year
  14. court — of law
  15. shower — to wash
  16. chip — for betting
  17. chair — a leader
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. court — for sport
  20. shower — rain
  21. branch — a division
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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