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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 · jam · chip · content · bass · toast · perch · branch

  1. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. toast — bread
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. court — for sport
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. content — the amount
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. chip — to eat
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. bass — low music
  16. court — of law
  17. content — happy
  18. court — of a king
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. perch — the fish
  21. chip — for betting
  22. bass — the fish
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. branch — a division

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