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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. track — to keep track
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. cue — for pool
  7. cue — a hint
  8. saw — the tool
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. cue — a signal
  12. saw — the tool
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. track — a path
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. pitch — completely
  21. track — a song
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. branch — a division
  24. fan — a supporter

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