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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: content · bay · arm · rule · court · object · tube · game

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. game — wild animals
  3. court — of law
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. tube — a container
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. object — to protest
  11. court — of a king
  12. rule — government
  13. content — the amount
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. content — happy
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. rule — a law
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. object — a thing
  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