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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 116 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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. court — for sport
  3. spell — a short time
  4. mark — a grade
  5. fall — to drop
  6. content — the amount
  7. present — the time now
  8. fine — high quality
  9. fall — the season
  10. fall — to drop
  11. field — for sport
  12. mark — a trace
  13. spell — letters
  14. content — happy
  15. spell — magic
  16. field — farmland
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. field — a subject
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. fine — all right
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. present — a gift

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