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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. wind — moving air
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. toast — bread
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. content — the amount
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. wind — moving air
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. bark — to shout
  20. content — happy
  21. court — of a king
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. kid — to tease

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