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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mate — a friend
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mate — to breed
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. content — happy
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. rock — a stone
  11. object — an aim
  12. bank — for money
  13. object — to protest
  14. rock — music
  15. bank — for money
  16. court — for sport
  17. court — of law
  18. content — the amount
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. bank — of a river
  23. drill — army training
  24. object — a thing

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