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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: court · cap · file · track · branch · cell · pass · bass

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. court — of a king
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. file — a tool
  5. file — a document
  6. cell — a phone
  7. cap — of ice
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — a division
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cap — a hat
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. pass — a permit
  16. cap — a lid
  17. court — of law
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. file — a line of people
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. cell — in biology
  23. bass — low music
  24. pass — to succeed

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