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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. kick — in football
  4. bank — for money
  5. court — of a king
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. court — for sport
  8. mate — a friend
  9. bank — of a river
  10. bound — tied together
  11. bank — for money
  12. bound — obliged
  13. root — the cause
  14. content — happy
  15. bound — certain
  16. mate — a partner
  17. root — of a plant
  18. root — of a word
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. court — of law
  21. content — the amount
  22. mate — to breed
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. kick — with a leg

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