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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mug — to rob
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. key — in music
  5. mine — for digging
  6. key — for a lock
  7. mug — a cup
  8. bank — for money
  9. content — the amount
  10. bank — of a river
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. spell — magic
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. mug — a face
  15. spell — a short time
  16. key — the most important part
  17. bank — for money
  18. court — for sport
  19. content — happy
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — of a king
  22. spell — letters
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. content — videos and posts

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