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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. kid — child
  3. kid — to tease
  4. pit — a hole
  5. court — for sport
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. court — of a king
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. spell — magic
  18. pit — in a race
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. court — of law
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. spell — letters
  24. spell — a short time

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