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

Word bank: deal · ball · kid · pit · bass · cell · branch · court

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. kid — child
  3. court — of law
  4. ball — a dance
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. ball — a great time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bass — low music
  13. court — of a king
  14. court — for sport
  15. cell — in biology
  16. pit — in a race
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. cell — a phone
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. pit — a hole
  23. deal — to handle
  24. cell — in a prison

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