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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Where did you ________________ them?
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. tear — from crying
  4. scale — size or range
  5. mug — to rob
  6. court — for sport
  7. scale — in music
  8. mug — a cup
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. court — of a king
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a hole
  13. content — happy
  14. board — a committee
  15. mug — a face
  16. tear — to rip
  17. content — the amount
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. board — to get on
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. bark — to shout
  22. court — of law
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. content — videos and posts

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