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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 · court · cap · arm · track · tear · dip · object

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. tear — to rip
  3. object — to protest
  4. cap — of ice
  5. court — for sport
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. court — of a king
  8. object — a thing
  9. tear — from crying
  10. cap — a hat
  11. content — happy
  12. content — the amount
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. track — a song
  15. cap — a lid
  16. track — to keep track
  17. tear — from crying
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. dip — to sink
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. track — a path
  23. court — of law
  24. object — an aim

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