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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. pit — in a race
  3. ball — a great time
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. sharp — clever
  6. content — happy
  7. court — for sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. content — the amount
  10. pit — a hole
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. game — a match
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. game — wild animals
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. ball — a dance
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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