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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: chest · court · roll · mate · land · kick · branch · suit

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. roll — a list
  3. court — of a king
  4. branch — a division
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. land — ground
  10. chest — a box
  11. chest — of your body
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. mate — a partner
  14. suit — to fit
  15. suit — clothes
  16. suit — in cards
  17. mate — a friend
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — in football
  21. land — a country
  22. court — of law
  23. mate — to breed
  24. chest — of your body

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