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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: game · stock · court · can · march · branch · fall · cue

  1. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. march — the month
  3. cue — a signal
  4. march — music
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. stock — shares
  7. branch — a division
  8. march — the month
  9. court — for sport
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — a tin
  13. fall — the season
  14. court — of a king
  15. can — to be able to
  16. cue — a hint
  17. game — a match
  18. court — of law
  19. cue — for pool
  20. game — wild animals
  21. can — a tin
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. fall — to drop

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