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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. shower — to wash
  4. press — newspapers
  5. capital — money
  6. shower — rain
  7. court — of law
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. capital — a city
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. press — a publisher
  13. press — to push
  14. branch — a division
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. court — for sport
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. dip — to sink
  23. court — of a king
  24. pitcher — a jug

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