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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bank · arm · charge · court · sharp · scale · mouse · shower

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. shower — to wash
  3. court — of a king
  4. charge — a price
  5. bank — for money
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. charge — in control
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. shower — rain
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. bank — for money
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. scale — in music
  14. scale — size or range
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. charge — electricity
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. sharp — clever
  20. court — of law
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. bank — of a river

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