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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. fine — high quality
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. court — of a king
  12. fine — all right
  13. race — humankind
  14. race — the arms race
  15. ball — a great time
  16. race — a contest
  17. branch — a division
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. stock — goods
  21. court — for sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. court — of law
  24. stock — shares

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