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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: court · game · dip · mine · scale · content · kick · rock

  1. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. kick — in football
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. court — of law
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. mine — for digging
  8. scale — size or range
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. content — the amount
  12. rock — a stone
  13. dip — to sink
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — music
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. scale — in music
  19. content — happy
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. court — of a king
  23. game — wild animals
  24. court — for sport

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