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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. track — a song
  5. court — of a king
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. land — to come down
  8. content — happy
  9. court — for sport
  10. pit — a hole
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. ball — a great time
  13. track — to keep track
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. kick — in football
  19. pit — in a race
  20. land — ground
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. track — a path
  23. court — of law
  24. land — a country

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