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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  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. bat — the animal
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. court — of a king
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. pass — a permit
  10. mark — a grade
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — the amount
  13. net — for catching
  14. mark — a trace
  15. net — after costs
  16. net — in sport
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pass — to succeed
  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