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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pop — soda
  4. content — the amount
  5. sharp — clever
  6. board — to get on
  7. court — of law
  8. drill — army training
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. board — a flat piece
  11. board — a committee
  12. drill — the tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. court — for sport
  15. net — for catching
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. net — in sport
  19. drill — a practice
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pop — music
  23. net — after costs
  24. court — of a king

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