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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. charge — electricity
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. craft — boats
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. cap — a hat
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — for digging
  13. hand — help
  14. craft — a skill
  15. charge — a price
  16. hand — in cards
  17. charge — in control
  18. cap — a lid
  19. branch — a division
  20. bound — obliged
  21. court — for sport
  22. bound — tied together
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. mine — an explosive

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