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

Word bank: bay · swing · court · stick · kid · branch · suit · mate

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. suit — to fit
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. mate — a friend
  5. swing — to play on
  6. kid — to tease
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. branch — a division
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. suit — in cards
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. kid — child
  15. mate — a partner
  16. court — for sport
  17. suit — clothes
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. court — of a king
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. mate — to breed
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. swing — in golf
  24. swing — music

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