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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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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: branch · fine · chair · court · bay · content · cold · racket

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. branch — a division
  6. fine — all right
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. cold — not warm
  9. content — the amount
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. chair — a leader
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cold — an illness
  16. court — for sport
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. content — happy
  24. fine — high quality

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