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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  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. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. pop — music
  5. court — of a king
  6. suit — in cards
  7. content — the amount
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. kick — in football
  10. suit — clothes
  11. suit — to fit
  12. kick — with a leg
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. hand — help
  22. content — happy
  23. hand — in cards
  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