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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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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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. court — of a king
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fork — in a road
  6. court — for sport
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — of law
  10. rash — a series
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. can — a tin
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. content — the amount
  16. can — to be able to
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. branch — a division
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. content — happy
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. rash — hasty
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. sharp — clever

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