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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. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — of a river
  2. court — of a king
  3. hand — in cards
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. march — the month
  6. court — of law
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. march — music
  10. bat — the animal
  11. march — the month
  12. bank — for money
  13. roll — a list
  14. court — for sport
  15. roll — a cake
  16. race — the arms race
  17. hand — help
  18. bank — for money
  19. race — humankind
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. race — a contest
  24. safe — out of danger

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