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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
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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: firm · fine · arm · court · content · hand · kick · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. land — ground
  3. fine — high quality
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. kick — in football
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. firm — steady
  8. court — for sport
  9. hand — help
  10. court — of law
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. fine — all right
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. hand — in cards
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. land — to come down
  17. firm — a company
  18. court — of a king
  19. firm — decided
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — happy
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — videos and posts

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