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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 drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. net — after costs
  4. charge — electricity
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. court — of a king
  7. content — happy
  8. court — for sport
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. content — the amount
  13. net — in sport
  14. rest — a break
  15. deal — to handle
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. rush — hurry
  18. charge — a price
  19. net — for catching
  20. rest — what's left
  21. charge — in control
  22. rest — what's left
  23. court — of law
  24. rush — 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