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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. fall — to drop
  4. net — for catching
  5. content — happy
  6. present — the time now
  7. charge — electricity
  8. date — the fruit
  9. content — the amount
  10. present — a gift
  11. court — of a king
  12. net — after costs
  13. charge — in control
  14. object — an aim
  15. charge — a price
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. object — a thing
  18. present — there
  19. fall — to drop
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. object — to protest
  22. fall — the season
  23. net — in sport
  24. court — of law

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