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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 120 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. can — a tin
  3. content — happy
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. court — of a king
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. coach — pulled by horses
  10. track — to keep track
  11. content — the amount
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. can — to be able to
  16. net — for catching
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. court — for sport
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. court — of law
  23. can — a tin
  24. rock — music

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