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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. bank — for money
  3. court — of law
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. fine — high quality
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. rash — hasty
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bank — for money
  11. pop — to visit
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. mug — to rob
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. mug — a face
  17. fine — all right
  18. bank — of a river
  19. court — for sport
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. mug — a cup
  22. court — of a king
  23. pop — music
  24. rash — a series

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