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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. pit — a hole
  5. cell — a phone
  6. content — the amount
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. content — happy
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. court — for sport
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. court — of law
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. mug — a face
  18. mug — to rob
  19. court — of a king
  20. mine — for digging
  21. squash — to crush
  22. squash — the sport
  23. cell — in biology
  24. mine — belonging to me

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