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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. content — happy
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. court — for sport
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. land — a country
  7. content — the amount
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. ball — a great time
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. land — to come down
  15. land — ground
  16. fine — all right
  17. court — of a king
  18. kick — in football
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. wake — a trail
  21. court — of law
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. ball — a dance
  24. kick — a thrill

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