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

Word bank: chip · court · pass · pitcher · content · pit · leaves · race

  1. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. content — videos and posts
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pit — a hole
  4. court — of law
  5. race — humankind
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. court — for sport
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. court — of a king
  12. pass — a permit
  13. chip — to eat
  14. pit — in a race
  15. content — the amount
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. content — happy
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — lets stay
  20. race — the arms race
  21. race — a contest
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. chip — for betting

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