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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. spell — magic
  3. court — of a king
  4. tear — from crying
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. cue — a hint
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. bass — the fish
  9. court — of law
  10. cue — a signal
  11. kid — child
  12. tear — to rip
  13. mine — for digging
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. content — the amount
  16. kid — to tease
  17. tear — from crying
  18. content — happy
  19. court — for sport
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. cue — for pool
  23. bass — low music
  24. spell — letters

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