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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 120 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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. court — for sport
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. mark — a trace
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. court — of law
  8. game — wild animals
  9. rest — what's left
  10. court — of a king
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. track — a song
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. track — a path
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. game — a match
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rest — a break
  23. branch — a division
  24. cabinet — ministers

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