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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: tube · content · bore · jam · season · cell · court · rash

  1. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. cell — in biology
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. court — of law
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. bore — to drill
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — in sport
  12. tube — the underground
  13. cell — a phone
  14. content — the amount
  15. tube — a container
  16. season — of the year
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. content — happy
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bore — to tire
  22. court — for sport
  23. court — of a king
  24. rash — hasty

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