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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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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: drill · mouse · court · deal · pop · branch · bat · temple

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. court — for sport
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pop — soda
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. drill — a practice
  9. court — of a king
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. bat — the animal
  15. drill — army training
  16. branch — a division
  17. deal — to handle
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. drill — the tool
  24. temple — side of the head

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