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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 · race · temple · foot · bound · can · content · track

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. bound — obliged
  4. content — videos and posts
  5. can — a tin
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. race — the arms race
  8. court — for sport
  9. can — to be able to
  10. race — humankind
  11. bound — tied together
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. content — the amount
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. race — a contest
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. content — happy
  20. court — of law
  21. foot — a measure
  22. can — a tin
  23. bound — certain
  24. track — to keep track

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