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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — a hole
  4. season — in sport
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. season — of the year
  7. chip — to eat
  8. pit — in a race
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. fine — high quality
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. court — for sport
  15. fine — all right
  16. date — the fruit
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. chip — for betting
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. court — of law
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. bat — the animal

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