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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: court · tube · object · last · mate · rock · fan · content

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. tube — the underground
  3. content — happy
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. court — for sport
  6. content — the amount
  7. mate — a friend
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. object — to protest
  10. object — a thing
  11. rock — a stone
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. last — final
  14. mate — a partner
  15. rock — music
  16. tube — a container
  17. mate — to breed
  18. last — to go on
  19. last — finally
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. court — of a king
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. court — of law

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