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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.

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 · spell · tube · court · chair · temple · prune · club

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. court — for sport
  3. court — of a king
  4. content — the amount
  5. temple — side of the head
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. spell — letters
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. chair — a leader
  10. temple — a place of worship
  11. club — for golf
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. prune — to trim
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. spell — magic
  16. content — happy
  17. club — a group
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. court — of law
  21. spell — a short time
  22. tube — a container
  23. club — for dancing
  24. tube — in a tire

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