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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. content — happy
  2. hand — in cards
  3. object — to protest
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. current — electric
  6. court — of law
  7. rest — what's left
  8. object — an aim
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. content — the amount
  12. hand — help
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. current — happening now
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. court — of a king
  19. court — for sport
  20. current — of water
  21. object — a thing
  22. rest — what's left
  23. foot — a measure
  24. rest — a break

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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