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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 116 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. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. court — of law
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. swing — to play on
  6. court — of a king
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. court — for sport
  9. swing — in golf
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. game — a match
  12. branch — a division
  13. plane — in geometry
  14. game — wild animals
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. swing — music
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. plane — a tool
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rush — hurry

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