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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: row · band · foot · content · court · bat · rule · mouse

  1. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  5. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. band — a ring
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. content — the amount
  5. rule — to rule out
  6. court — of a king
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. rule — government
  9. court — of law
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. row — a line
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — for sport
  16. rule — a law
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. band — a music group
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. row — to paddle
  22. foot — a measure
  23. content — happy
  24. bat — in an idiom

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