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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. squash — the sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. content — the amount
  7. track — a song
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. track — a path
  11. track — to keep track
  12. staff — employees
  13. rule — a law
  14. rule — government
  15. rule — to rule out
  16. mine — for digging
  17. content — happy
  18. court — of law
  19. court — for sport
  20. staff — a stick
  21. pit — a hole
  22. staff — employees
  23. pit — in a race
  24. squash — to crush

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