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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: court · content · leaves · land · rush · ball · branch · fine

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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 dance
  3. court — of law
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. content — the amount
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. land — ground
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. land — to come down
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. branch — a division
  15. land — a country
  16. content — happy
  17. court — for sport
  18. rush — hurry
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. court — of a king
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — all right
  24. fine — high quality

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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