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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. My father caught me by the ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. cue — for pool
  3. content — happy
  4. court — of a king
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. toast — bread
  9. court — for sport
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. cue — a signal
  13. capital — money
  14. cue — a hint
  15. capital — a big letter
  16. content — the amount
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. capital — a city
  20. toast — the most admired
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. wound — an injury
  24. court — of law

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