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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: sharp · file · court · mouse · drill · squash · branch · pit

  1. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a tree
  2. squash — the sport
  3. file — a tool
  4. pit — a hole
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. court — for sport
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. drill — a practice
  11. drill — army training
  12. pit — in a race
  13. sharp — clever
  14. branch — a division
  15. file — a line of people
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. file — a document
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. branch — of a bank

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