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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. court — of law
  4. mate — a partner
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. mate — to breed
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. court — of a king
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pop — soda
  13. content — the amount
  14. mate — a friend
  15. pop — music
  16. pitch — completely
  17. pop — to visit
  18. rush — hurry
  19. content — happy
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. safe — a strongbox
  24. rush — to hurry

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