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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of a king
  7. content — happy
  8. kick — in football
  9. kid — to tease
  10. court — of law
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. content — the amount
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hand — help
  19. hand — in cards
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. kid — child
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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