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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.

Make a worksheet

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: content · court · can · temple · mine · fine · object · fall

  1. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. When was this ________________ built?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. mine — for digging
  3. content — happy
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. content — the amount
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fall — to drop
  9. object — to protest
  10. can — a tin
  11. temple — side of the head
  12. fall — the season
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. object — an aim
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fine — all right
  17. court — for sport
  18. object — a thing
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. temple — a place of worship
  21. can — to be able to
  22. court — of law
  23. court — of a king
  24. fine — a penalty

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