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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. lash — to lash out
  4. file — a line of people
  5. bank — for money
  6. staff — employees
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. court — for sport
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. march — music
  13. content — the amount
  14. march — the month
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. file — a tool
  19. bank — for money
  20. file — a document
  21. march — the month
  22. content — happy
  23. lash — a whip stroke
  24. bank — of a river

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