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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
468
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 · bat · key · branch · leaves · mine · deal · cue

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. mine — for digging
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — for sport
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. cue — a hint
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bat — the animal
  13. cue — for pool
  14. key — the most important part
  15. cue — a signal
  16. deal — to handle
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. key — in music
  20. court — of law
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. key — for a lock
  24. mine — belonging to me

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