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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. court — of law
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. fine — high quality
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. net — in sport
  8. rush — hurry
  9. pit — in a race
  10. court — of a king
  11. content — happy
  12. net — after costs
  13. fine — all right
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. root — of a word
  16. pit — a hole
  17. root — of a plant
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. court — for sport
  21. root — the cause
  22. content — the amount
  23. saw — the tool
  24. net — for catching

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