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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: land · object · court · arm · jam · chair · content · bear

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. object — an aim
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. court — of law
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. land — ground
  9. bear — the animal
  10. land — a country
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. court — of a king
  14. bear — the animal
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. court — for sport
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. content — happy
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. chair — a leader
  22. object — to protest
  23. land — to come down
  24. object — a thing

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