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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: rash · club · prune · content · court · kid · mouse · ball

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. rash — a series
  6. ball — a dance
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. kid — to tease
  10. content — happy
  11. court — for sport
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. rash — hasty
  15. club — for dancing
  16. prune — to trim
  17. court — of a king
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. club — a group
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kid — child
  22. court — of law
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. club — for golf

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