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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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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. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. cap — of ice
  3. court — of a king
  4. pitch — completely
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. bat — the animal
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. content — happy
  9. court — of law
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. club — for dancing
  16. content — the amount
  17. court — for sport
  18. pit — in a race
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pit — a hole
  21. sharp — clever
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. cap — a lid
  24. sharp — exactly

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