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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — of a king
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. deal — to handle
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — to tease
  7. court — for sport
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. court — of law
  10. plane — a tool
  11. content — the amount
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. kid — child
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. stock — shares

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