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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 116 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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. branch — a division
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. drill — the tool
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. drill — army training
  9. court — of a king
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. court — for sport
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — a hole
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. court — of law
  19. branch — of a tree
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pit — in a race
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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