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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mug — a cup
  3. court — of a king
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. tube — the underground
  7. mug — to rob
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. court — for sport
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. cold — not warm
  14. court — of law
  15. tube — a container
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. ground — the earth
  18. cold — an illness
  19. tube — in a tire
  20. ground — a position
  21. ground — crushed
  22. mug — a face
  23. content — happy
  24. hide — to keep secret

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