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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 120 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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. spell — letters
  4. content — happy
  5. current — happening now
  6. rest — what's left
  7. court — of law
  8. court — for sport
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. spell — magic
  11. spell — a short time
  12. pound — a weight
  13. field — farmland
  14. pit — a hole
  15. content — the amount
  16. current — of water
  17. field — a subject
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. field — for sport
  20. rest — a break
  21. current — electric
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. rest — what's left
  24. pit — in a race

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