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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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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: lean · deal · branch · cold · court · kick · mate · firm

  1. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. branch — a division
  5. court — of a king
  6. kick — in football
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. cold — an illness
  11. court — of law
  12. firm — decided
  13. lean — thin
  14. mate — a partner
  15. court — for sport
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. cold — not warm
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. mate — to breed
  20. firm — a company
  21. lean — to bend
  22. firm — steady
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. kick — a thrill

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