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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. mark — a trace
  5. season — in sport
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. season — of the year
  8. pit — a hole
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. key — in music
  11. key — for a lock
  12. mark — a grade
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. court — for sport
  15. content — the amount
  16. court — of law
  17. key — the most important part
  18. toast — bread
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. court — of a king
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. content — happy
  24. bowl — to roll

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