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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. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. content — the amount
  5. spell — letters
  6. content — happy
  7. row — a line
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. craft — boats
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. spell — magic
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. spell — a short time
  18. row — to paddle
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. deal — to handle
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. craft — a skill

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