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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: season · mate · charge · degree · court · branch · game · leaves

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. The tickets are free of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mate — to breed
  3. mate — a partner
  4. degree — temperature
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — a division
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. charge — in control
  9. season — in sport
  10. charge — electricity
  11. game — wild animals
  12. degree — from a university
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. season — of the year
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. mate — a friend
  17. court — for sport
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. game — a match
  20. degree — an amount
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. charge — a price
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. branch — of a tree

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