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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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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: file · content · prune · court · fine · pitcher · game · arm

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. game — wild animals
  3. court — of a king
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. file — a line of people
  6. court — for sport
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. fine — all right
  10. prune — to trim
  11. game — a match
  12. content — the amount
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. fine — high quality
  16. file — a document
  17. content — happy
  18. prune — to trim
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. file — a tool
  24. court — of law

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