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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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. court — of a king
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. squash — to crush
  7. court — of law
  8. suit — clothes
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. tube — a container
  13. court — for sport
  14. sharp — clever
  15. branch — a division
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bank — for money
  19. tube — the underground
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. suit — to fit
  22. bank — for money
  23. bank — of a river
  24. sharp — exactly

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