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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. What do you think of the new ________________?
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. hand — help
  4. object — a thing
  5. saw — the tool
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. saw — the tool
  8. object — an aim
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. content — the amount
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. court — of law
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. court — of a king
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. object — to protest
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — in cards
  24. roll — a cake

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