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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The light ________________ burned out.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. swing — music
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. content — the amount
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. bulb — for light
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — for sport
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bulb — for light
  14. ground — a position
  15. pit — in a race
  16. court — of a king
  17. kick — in football
  18. content — happy
  19. rock — music
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. content — videos and posts
  24. rock — a stone

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