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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: file · can · game · court · pop · trunk · chair · content

  1. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  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. file — a tool
  2. can — a tin
  3. chair — a professorship
  4. pop — to visit
  5. content — happy
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. can — to be able to
  9. chair — a leader
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. chair — to sit on
  12. game — a match
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. file — a line of people
  15. can — a tin
  16. pop — music
  17. file — a document
  18. pop — soda
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — for sport
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. content — the amount
  23. game — wild animals
  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