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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. kick — in football
  6. hand — help
  7. content — happy
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — in cards
  14. court — of a king
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. court — for sport
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. dip — to sink
  24. stock — a soup base

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