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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 124 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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. cue — a hint
  3. court — for sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. court — of a king
  8. court — of law
  9. current — of water
  10. drill — a practice
  11. pass — a permit
  12. drill — the tool
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. current — electric
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. branch — a division
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. cue — for pool
  21. drill — army training
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. current — happening now
  24. pass — to succeed

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