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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: perch · game · swing · court · content · ruler · temple · wax

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  6. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. content — the amount
  3. swing — music
  4. court — of a king
  5. ruler — a monarch
  6. wax — in the ear
  7. court — for sport
  8. wax — for sculpting
  9. content — happy
  10. wax — to grow
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. game — wild animals
  13. perch — the fish
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. game — a match
  16. swing — to play on
  17. court — of law
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. swing — in golf

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