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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. court — of law
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. spell — letters
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. court — of a king
  9. mine — for digging
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. content — the amount
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. court — for sport
  17. content — happy
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. kick — in football
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — magic
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. kick — with a leg

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