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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: file · game · deal · hand · cabinet · court · rash · branch

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. file — a tool
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. branch — a division
  7. file — a document
  8. hand — in cards
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. rash — a series
  12. file — a line of people
  13. game — wild animals
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — to handle
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. hand — help
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. court — of law
  22. rash — hasty
  23. court — for sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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