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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spell — magic
  3. swing — music
  4. pit — a hole
  5. content — the amount
  6. court — of law
  7. fine — high quality
  8. content — happy
  9. row — a line
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cue — for pool
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. swing — in golf
  14. cue — a hint
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pit — in a race
  19. court — of a king
  20. cue — a signal
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spell — letters
  24. swing — to play on

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