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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. He works in a ________________ mill.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. content — happy
  6. kid — to tease
  7. chip — for betting
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. saw — the tool
  10. content — the amount
  11. track — a song
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. plane — a tool
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. court — of law
  16. saw — the tool
  17. mine — for digging
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. track — to keep track
  20. kid — child
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. track — a path
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. chip — to eat

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