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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: craft · content · roll · cell · pitcher · chest · wax · court

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. content — the amount
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. chest — a box
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — of law
  11. cell — a phone
  12. court — for sport
  13. chest — of your body
  14. wax — to grow
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. roll — a list
  19. content — happy
  20. craft — a skill
  21. craft — boats
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. cell — in biology
  24. roll — a cake

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