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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — happy
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. court — for sport
  5. root — of a word
  6. mug — a face
  7. shower — rain
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — the amount
  11. kid — child
  12. root — the cause
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. mug — to rob
  16. mug — a cup
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. shower — to wash
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. court — of a king
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. pass — a permit
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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