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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. suit — clothes
  3. rest — what's left
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. cue — for pool
  7. rest — a break
  8. suit — in cards
  9. ground — crushed
  10. content — happy
  11. court — of a king
  12. hand — in cards
  13. cue — a signal
  14. cue — a hint
  15. ground — the earth
  16. court — for sport
  17. suit — to fit
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. ground — a position
  21. rest — what's left
  22. content — the amount
  23. band — a ring
  24. band — a music group

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