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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 120 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: bat · content · rash · court · fall · present · bay · wound

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wound — an injury
  3. present — there
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. rash — a series
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. present — a gift
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. content — the amount
  12. present — the time now
  13. wound — an injury
  14. fall — to drop
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. court — for sport
  20. fall — the season
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. rash — hasty
  23. fall — to drop
  24. content — happy

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