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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — after costs
  4. club — a group
  5. bulb — for light
  6. content — happy
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. court — of law
  9. court — for sport
  10. net — for catching
  11. court — of a king
  12. club — for golf
  13. net — in sport
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. club — for dancing
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — to handle
  19. roll — a list
  20. roll — a cake
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bulb — for light
  23. content — the amount
  24. bulb — of a plant

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