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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. court — for sport
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. prune — to trim
  7. bank — of a river
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. prune — to trim
  12. bank — for money
  13. squash — to crush
  14. dip — to sink
  15. court — of law
  16. bound — tied together
  17. bound — certain
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. bank — for money
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. court — of a king
  24. dip — to dunk

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