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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 120 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When will it ________________ you to start?
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pit — in a race
  4. scale — size or range
  5. net — in sport
  6. suit — to fit
  7. shower — rain
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. shower — to wash
  10. suit — in cards
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. content — happy
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. net — for catching
  15. suit — clothes
  16. content — the amount
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. scale — in music
  20. bat — the animal
  21. net — after costs
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pit — a hole

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