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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. present — a gift
  3. present — the time now
  4. key — in music
  5. pop — soda
  6. court — for sport
  7. band — a music group
  8. key — the most important part
  9. chair — a leader
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. present — there
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — of law
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. band — a ring
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pop — music
  22. court — of a king
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. key — for a lock

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