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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. mine — for digging
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. court — for sport
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. content — happy
  8. date — the fruit
  9. court — of law
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. toast — bread
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. content — the amount
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. court — of a king

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