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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · calf · pit · court · content · hide · fine · fan

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. content — the amount
  4. court — for sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. fine — all right
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fine — high quality
  15. court — of a king
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. drill — a practice
  18. drill — army training
  19. content — happy
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. drill — the tool
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. pit — a hole

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