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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. spell — letters
  4. spell — a short time
  5. mark — a trace
  6. bound — obliged
  7. content — the amount
  8. spell — magic
  9. court — of law
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. bound — tied together
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. lie — to recline
  16. court — for sport
  17. hand — in cards
  18. content — happy
  19. bound — certain
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. mark — a grade
  22. hand — help
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. hand — part of the body

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