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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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Word bank
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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: wave · pass · court · content · racket · pitcher · track · cap

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. content — happy
  3. court — of a king
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cap — a lid
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. court — of law
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. court — for sport
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. content — the amount
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — a permit
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a hat
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. track — a song
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. track — to keep track

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