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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: racket · branch · fork · squash · game · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. squash — the sport
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. branch — a division
  6. squash — to crush
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. game — wild animals
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. game — a match
  12. court — for sport
  13. fork — in a road
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. court — of law
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — of a tree

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