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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Have you settled on a ________________?
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. There's no middle ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. drill — army training
  4. court — for sport
  5. date — the fruit
  6. drill — a practice
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. drill — the tool
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. ground — crushed
  13. court — of law
  14. bat — the animal
  15. ground — the earth
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. charge — in control
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. branch — a division
  21. charge — electricity
  22. court — of a king
  23. charge — a price
  24. ground — a position

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