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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. My father caught me by the ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — happy
  3. chip — for betting
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. chair — a leader
  6. court — of a king
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. chip — to eat
  9. court — for sport
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. sharp — clever
  21. content — the amount
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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