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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rash — hasty
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. court — of law
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. court — of a king
  10. cell — a phone
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. march — music
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pit — a hole
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. rash — a series
  22. cell — in biology
  23. march — the month
  24. bowl — a dish

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