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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: branch · file · board · court · kid · safe · pit · spell

  1. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. board — a committee
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. spell — a short time
  5. file — a document
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. spell — letters
  8. court — of law
  9. file — a tool
  10. branch — a division
  11. kid — child
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. board — to get on
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. court — for sport
  17. kid — to tease
  18. court — of a king
  19. pit — in a race
  20. file — a line of people
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. spell — magic
  24. pit — a hole

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