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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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. bass — the fish
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. court — for sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. bank — of a river
  8. bank — for money
  9. bank — for money
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. court — of law
  12. mark — a grade
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. mark — a trace
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. rule — a law
  18. bass — low music
  19. court — of a king
  20. content — happy
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. rule — government
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rule — to rule out

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