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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 116 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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. pop — music
  5. tube — the underground
  6. can — a tin
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. pop — to visit
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. can — to be able to
  13. court — of a king
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. court — of law
  16. pop — soda
  17. capital — money
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. tube — a container
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. pit — a hole
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. capital — a city

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