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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. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. net — for catching
  3. spell — magic
  4. court — for sport
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. mug — a cup
  7. cue — a hint
  8. spell — a short time
  9. cue — for pool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. mug — a face
  13. mug — to rob
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. cue — a signal
  17. rush — hurry
  18. bound — obliged
  19. spell — letters
  20. content — happy
  21. bound — tied together
  22. net — after costs
  23. bound — certain
  24. net — in sport

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