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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. lean — to rest against
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. spell — letters
  5. spell — magic
  6. hand — in cards
  7. content — the amount
  8. ball — a dance
  9. lean — to bend
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. hand — help
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. court — of law
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. court — for sport
  19. lean — thin
  20. court — of a king
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. ball — a great time

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