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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: branch · bear · face · court · fine · ball · stock · game

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. fine — all right
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. branch — a division
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. court — of law
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fine — high quality
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. game — a match
  11. face — to point toward
  12. bear — the animal
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. face — to confront
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. game — wild animals
  17. stock — goods
  18. ball — a great time
  19. face — part of the head
  20. court — for sport
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bear — the animal
  23. ball — a dance
  24. stock — shares

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