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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · bank · court · bay · cold · swing · pit · bear

  1. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. My mare is ________________ in color.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — of a king
  3. pit — a hole
  4. bear — the animal
  5. swing — in golf
  6. bear — the animal
  7. cold — not warm
  8. swing — to play on
  9. bay — a part of the sea
  10. court — of law
  11. bank — for money
  12. pit — in a race
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. court — for sport
  15. bank — for money
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. cold — an illness
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. content — happy
  21. bank — of a river
  22. swing — music
  23. bay — a horse colour
  24. content — the amount

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