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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. staff — employees
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. staff — employees
  6. pit — a hole
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. court — of law
  10. lie — to recline
  11. bass — low music
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pit — in a race
  14. bass — the fish
  15. field — for sport
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. field — a subject
  19. staff — a stick
  20. court — of a king
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. field — farmland
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — a group

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