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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: mouse · wound · pit · content · stick · charge · court · jam

  1. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. wound — an injury
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. charge — electricity
  7. charge — a price
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. content — the amount
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. pit — a hole
  14. content — videos and posts
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. court — for sport
  20. court — of law
  21. charge — in control
  22. content — happy
  23. court — of a king
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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