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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. wound — an injury
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. foot — a measure
  7. content — the amount
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. wound — an injury
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. kid — to tease
  14. court — of law
  15. kid — child
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. court — for sport
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. content — happy

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