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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. season — in sport
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. mark — a trace
  5. court — for sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. court — of a king
  8. band — a ring
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a music group
  11. bass — low music
  12. club — for golf
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. season — of the year
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bass — the fish
  18. mark — a grade
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. club — for dancing
  22. club — a group
  23. content — the amount
  24. content — happy

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