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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. present — a gift
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. spell — letters
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — of a river
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. stand — to bear
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spell — magic
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. court — of law
  17. court — for sport
  18. bank — for money
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. court — of a king
  21. bank — for money
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. present — the time now
  24. present — there

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