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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. hand — in cards
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. court — of a king
  5. hand — help
  6. lean — thin
  7. content — the amount
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. court — of law
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — a division
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. snap — to click
  16. court — for sport
  17. lean — to bend
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. content — happy
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. hand — part of the body

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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