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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.

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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: dip · bay · deal · content · bear · swing · can · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — the amount
  3. court — of a king
  4. can — a tin
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. swing — to play on
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. deal — to handle
  11. can — to be able to
  12. swing — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. content — happy
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. court — for sport
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. swing — in golf
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bear — the animal

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