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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 116 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: perch · mate · deal · court · branch · key · season · kick

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. This piece is in a major ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. perch — the fish
  4. court — of law
  5. season — in sport
  6. branch — a division
  7. key — for a lock
  8. key — in music
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. key — the most important part
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. mate — to breed
  15. deal — to handle
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. court — of a king
  18. mate — a friend
  19. season — of the year
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. kick — in football
  22. mate — a partner
  23. court — for sport
  24. perch — for a bird

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