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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. capital — a city
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. club — for dancing
  9. club — a group
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. capital — money
  12. court — of a king
  13. branch — a division
  14. march — the month
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. capital — a big letter
  18. march — the month
  19. dip — to sink
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. club — for golf
  24. march — music

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