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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · present · calf · rash · mine · court · rule · content

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He was blown up by a land ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. present — the time now
  4. court — for sport
  5. present — there
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. rule — a law
  8. rash — hasty
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. present — a gift
  12. bat — the animal
  13. rash — a series
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. rule — government
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. court — of a king
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. mine — an explosive

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