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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  6. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. net — after costs
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. safe — out of danger
  6. craft — boats
  7. can — to be able to
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. can — a tin
  10. net — for catching
  11. content — the amount
  12. net — in sport
  13. craft — a skill
  14. content — happy
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of a king
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. court — for sport

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