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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. rock — a stone
  3. ball — a dance
  4. saw — the tool
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. content — the amount
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. prune — to trim
  9. rock — music
  10. content — happy
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of law
  14. ball — a great time
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. net — after costs
  17. saw — the tool
  18. prune — to trim
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — to recline
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. net — in sport
  23. net — for catching
  24. content — videos and posts

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