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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. ball — a dance
  3. court — for sport
  4. file — a document
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. scale — size or range
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cue — a signal
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. cue — a hint
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. branch — a division
  17. file — a tool
  18. ball — a great time
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. cue — for pool
  21. scale — in music
  22. court — of law
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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