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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. branch — a division
  3. court — of a king
  4. staff — a stick
  5. staff — employees
  6. squash — to crush
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. squash — the sport
  11. net — for catching
  12. bear — the animal
  13. staff — employees
  14. mate — to breed
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. net — in sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. degree — an amount
  19. bear — the animal
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. degree — from a university
  22. degree — temperature
  23. net — after costs
  24. court — for sport

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