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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. cap — of ice
  3. key — the most important part
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. cap — a lid
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cap — a hat
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. key — in music
  13. net — after costs
  14. net — for catching
  15. content — happy
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. court — of law
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. court — of a king
  20. net — in sport
  21. key — for a lock
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. court — for sport
  24. content — videos and posts

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