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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: file · court · mate · ruler · branch · can · roll · ground

  1. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. ground — a position
  3. ground — crushed
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. court — of a king
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. court — for sport
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. court — of law
  10. file — a tool
  11. roll — a cake
  12. can — a tin
  13. ground — the earth
  14. mate — a friend
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. mate — a partner
  17. branch — a division
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. file — a document
  21. can — a tin
  22. mate — to breed
  23. can — to be able to
  24. roll — a list

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