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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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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: ruler · lie · bowl · court · band · content · capital · mouse

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. band — a ring
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. capital — a city
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. band — a music group
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. capital — money
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. content — happy
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. content — the amount
  23. lie — to recline
  24. ruler — for measuring

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