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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: content · file · arm · jam · net · pop · court · stick

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — after costs
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. pop — to visit
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. content — happy
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. file — a tool
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pop — music
  13. court — for sport
  14. file — a line of people
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pop — soda
  17. file — a document
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. content — the amount
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. court — of law
  24. net — for catching

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