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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · chip · can · court · mate · ball · kid · spell

  1. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  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. can — a tin
  2. mate — to breed
  3. kid — to tease
  4. can — to be able to
  5. spell — magic
  6. mate — a friend
  7. court — of a king
  8. chip — to eat
  9. branch — a division
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kid — child
  13. ball — a great time
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ball — a dance
  17. can — a tin
  18. court — of law
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. chip — for betting
  23. court — for sport
  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