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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. club — for dancing
  3. band — a music group
  4. content — happy
  5. court — of law
  6. press — to push
  7. content — the amount
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. court — for sport
  10. stock — goods
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. press — newspapers
  14. club — a group
  15. chip — in a computer
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chip — for betting
  19. band — a ring
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — shares
  23. club — for golf
  24. chip — to eat

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