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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — music
  3. staff — employees
  4. content — the amount
  5. court — of law
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. staff — employees
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. court — of a king
  14. game — wild animals
  15. game — a match
  16. scale — in music
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — magic
  19. spell — letters
  20. staff — a stick
  21. court — for sport
  22. scale — size or range
  23. content — happy
  24. spell — a short 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