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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: suit · game · pitcher · mug · rash · cap · court · content

  1. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. rash — a series
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. content — happy
  5. suit — to fit
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. suit — in cards
  8. suit — clothes
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. rash — hasty
  13. mug — to rob
  14. mug — a face
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. court — of law
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — of ice
  20. content — the amount
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. court — of a king
  24. court — for sport

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