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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 120 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. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. squash — the sport
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. content — happy
  8. sharp — clever
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. face — to confront
  11. face — part of the head
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. court — for sport
  14. face — to point toward
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. squash — to crush
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. content — the amount
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — a part of something
  24. court — of law

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