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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 had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I've got to change the light ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. content — the amount
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. kid — to tease
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. mug — a face
  8. content — happy
  9. pitch — completely
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bulb — for light
  12. court — of a king
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. court — of law
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. court — for sport
  19. temple — a place of worship
  20. mug — a cup
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. wake — a trail
  24. wake — before a funeral

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