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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: rest · branch · racket · court · drill · mine · sharp · jam

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. branch — a division
  3. mine — for digging
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rest — what's left
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. sharp — clever
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. drill — army training
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. drill — the tool
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. rest — what's left
  20. court — for sport
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. drill — a practice

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