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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. club — for golf
  3. content — happy
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. cell — in biology
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. drill — the tool
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. drill — army training
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. club — a group
  14. cell — a phone
  15. drill — a practice
  16. court — of a king
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. lie — to recline
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. club — for dancing
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. content — the amount
  24. deal — to handle

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