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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. branch — a division
  4. cap — a hat
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. bore — to tire
  8. cap — of ice
  9. cap — a lid
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. bat — the animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. bore — to drill
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. spring — the season
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. court — of law
  23. spring — a coil
  24. spring — of water

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