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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 120 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: ball · court · stick · pop · chest · fan · rush · branch

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rush — hurry
  4. court — of law
  5. chest — of your body
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. chest — a box
  10. court — for sport
  11. pop — soda
  12. court — of a king
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. chest — of your body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. pop — music
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. ball — a great time
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rush — to hurry

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