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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. land — ground
  3. content — happy
  4. court — of a king
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. club — for golf
  9. season — of the year
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. land — to come down
  12. mug — to rob
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. club — a group
  15. mug — a face
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. club — for dancing
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mug — a cup
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. content — the amount
  24. court — of law

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