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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  21. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. court — of a king
  3. spring — of water
  4. spring — a coil
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. net — in sport
  7. pass — a permit
  8. court — for sport
  9. game — wild animals
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. net — after costs
  13. cue — a signal
  14. game — a match
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. bear — the animal
  17. spring — the season
  18. net — for catching
  19. branch — a division
  20. bear — the animal
  21. cue — a hint
  22. court — of law
  23. cue — for pool
  24. game — a kind of play

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