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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.

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: lean · wind · can · bat · content · court · dip · bulb

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. I've got to change the light ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. can — to be able to
  4. court — of law
  5. wind — moving air
  6. lean — to bend
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. wind — moving air
  14. bulb — for light
  15. content — the amount
  16. bat — the animal
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. content — happy
  21. can — a tin
  22. bulb — for light
  23. lean — thin
  24. court — for sport

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