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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — happy
  3. court — of a king
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. court — of law
  8. plane — in geometry
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. band — a music group
  11. band — a ring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. dip — to sink
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. hand — help
  22. content — the amount
  23. court — for sport
  24. plane — a tool

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