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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: ruler · suit · court · scale · ball · band · branch · game

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. suit — to fit
  4. suit — clothes
  5. game — a match
  6. scale — size or range
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. game — wild animals
  10. ball — a dance
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a great time
  13. band — a ring
  14. court — of a king
  15. suit — in cards
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. band — a music group
  19. scale — in music
  20. court — of law
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. game — a kind of play

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