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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. content — happy
  3. court — of a king
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. foot — a measure
  9. content — the amount
  10. hand — help
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. court — of law
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. court — for sport
  19. lie — to recline
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pass — a permit
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. hand — in cards

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