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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: court · content · fine · mouse · branch · pass · prune · sharp

  1. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — clever
  6. fine — all right
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. fine — high quality
  15. prune — to trim
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. court — for sport
  19. prune — to trim
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. pass — a permit
  22. branch — a division
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. mouse — the animal

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