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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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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: bat · fan · track · board · field · branch · court · stick

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. branch — a division
  3. field — for sport
  4. track — a path
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. court — of law
  9. field — farmland
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. court — for sport
  12. track — a song
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. track — to keep track
  16. board — a committee
  17. bat — the animal
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. field — a subject
  22. board — to get on
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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