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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: lie · content · calf · court · race · game · nail · pitcher

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  5. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — of a king
  4. race — humankind
  5. lie — an untruth
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. court — for sport
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. content — happy
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. game — wild animals
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. game — a match
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. lie — to recline
  24. nail — on a finger

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