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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: mate · court · march · firm · branch · degree · cue · mine

  1. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. court — for sport
  4. cue — a signal
  5. firm — decided
  6. mate — to breed
  7. march — the month
  8. firm — steady
  9. degree — an amount
  10. march — music
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. firm — a company
  14. march — the month
  15. mate — a partner
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. court — of a king
  18. branch — a division
  19. mate — a friend
  20. mine — for digging
  21. court — of law
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mine — an explosive

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