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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. sharp — clever
  3. chest — of your body
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. chest — a box
  7. court — for sport
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. branch — a division
  10. chest — of your body
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — a grade
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. mark — a trace
  17. wake — before a funeral
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. court — of a king
  24. wake — a trail

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