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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. 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 a king
  2. staff — employees
  3. can — to be able to
  4. drill — a practice
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. can — a tin
  7. squash — the vegetable
  8. rash — hasty
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. drill — the tool
  13. content — the amount
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. staff — a stick
  16. lie — to recline
  17. staff — employees
  18. can — a tin
  19. court — of law
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. drill — army training
  23. content — happy
  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