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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 116 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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. file — a line of people
  4. court — for sport
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — shares
  9. court — of a king
  10. bank — of a river
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — goods
  13. bear — the animal
  14. bear — the animal
  15. file — a tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. court — of law
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bank — for money
  22. net — in sport
  23. file — a document
  24. bear — to put up with

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