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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. sharp — clever
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. branch — a division
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. file — a tool
  11. chip — for betting
  12. file — a document
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. court — for sport
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. shower — to wash
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. shower — rain
  22. file — a line of people
  23. chip — to eat
  24. ruler — a monarch

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