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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: rush · branch · arm · court · chest · capital · stick · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. ball — a dance
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. chest — a box
  9. court — of a king
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. capital — a city
  12. court — for sport
  13. branch — a division
  14. capital — money
  15. branch — of a bank
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. chest — of your body
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. court — of law
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. chest — of your body

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