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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. court — for sport
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. saw — the tool
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. game — a match
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. wake — a trail
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. game — wild animals
  18. tube — the underground
  19. branch — a division
  20. saw — the tool
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. tube — a container
  23. court — of a king
  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