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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. chest — of your body
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. ball — a dance
  6. court — of a king
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. chest — of your body
  9. content — the amount
  10. chest — a box
  11. court — for sport
  12. ball — a great time
  13. season — of the year
  14. tube — a container
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. content — happy
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. spring — a coil
  19. spring — the season
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. tube — the underground
  22. spring — of water
  23. court — of law
  24. safe — out of danger

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