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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mine — for digging
  3. content — the amount
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. content — happy
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cue — a hint
  14. game — wild animals
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. cue — for pool
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. cue — a signal
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. temple — a place of worship
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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