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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. court — of a king
  4. hand — help
  5. current — happening now
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. mug — a cup
  8. content — happy
  9. current — of water
  10. court — of law
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — for sport
  13. pound — a weight
  14. hand — in cards
  15. mark — a grade
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mug — to rob
  18. pound — to hit hard
  19. mug — a face
  20. mark — a trace
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. current — electric

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