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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. court — of a king
  3. content — the amount
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. wind — moving air
  6. court — for sport
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. wind — moving air
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. wax — to grow
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. bear — the animal
  22. court — of law
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. bear — to put up with

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