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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. fine — all right
  4. court — for sport
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chip — for betting
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — high quality
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. content — happy
  13. chip — to eat
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. content — the amount
  19. tear — from crying
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. court — of law
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. tear — from crying
  24. tear — to rip

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