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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. content — the amount
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. current — happening now
  5. court — of law
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. bat — the animal
  10. chip — to eat
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. saw — the tool
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. chip — for betting
  18. content — happy
  19. saw — the tool
  20. current — electric
  21. court — for sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. current — of water
  24. cabinet — ministers

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