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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. net — for catching
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. plane — a tool
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. swing — to play on
  8. court — of law
  9. net — after costs
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. swing — in golf
  12. pit — a hole
  13. season — in sport
  14. content — happy
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. swing — music
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. court — for sport
  19. content — the amount
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. net — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. sharp — clever
  24. court — of a king

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