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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. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. branch — of a bank
  2. kid — to tease
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — a division
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. scale — in music
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. scale — size or range
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. court — for sport
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. kid — child
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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