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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. bulb — for light
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. spell — magic
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. court — of law
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. spell — letters
  15. content — the amount
  16. spell — a short time
  17. band — a ring
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. band — a music group
  22. content — happy
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. fan — to cool the air

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