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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 · ball · file · fall · fine · branch · mug · lie

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. fall — the season
  4. court — for sport
  5. mug — a face
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. mug — to rob
  9. lie — to recline
  10. branch — a division
  11. court — of law
  12. file — a document
  13. fall — to drop
  14. ball — a dance
  15. mug — a cup
  16. file — a tool
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. file — a line of people
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — of a king
  24. branch — of a tree

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