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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. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. ball — a great time
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. court — of law
  6. content — happy
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. can — a tin
  10. land — to come down
  11. bear — the animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. land — a country
  14. ball — a dance
  15. can — to be able to
  16. court — of a king
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. land — ground
  23. court — for sport
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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