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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. court — for sport
  5. fine — all right
  6. content — the amount
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. capital — money
  9. fine — high quality
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. rush — hurry
  12. deal — to handle
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. kid — child
  15. capital — a city
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. content — happy
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — of law
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. kid — to tease

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