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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. date — the fruit
  3. swing — music
  4. track — to keep track
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. bore — to tire
  9. club — a group
  10. content — happy
  11. swing — to play on
  12. rest — a break
  13. court — of law
  14. track — a song
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bore — to drill
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rest — what's left
  19. track — a path
  20. rest — what's left
  21. court — of a king
  22. content — the amount
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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