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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. arm — a part of something
  3. mate — a friend
  4. scale — size or range
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. content — the amount
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. pitch — completely
  13. scale — in music
  14. court — of law
  15. roll — a list
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. mate — a partner
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. content — happy
  23. court — of a king
  24. 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