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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.

Make a worksheet

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: pit · court · cell · racket · rush · scale · mine · tube

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. tube — a container
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. scale — in music
  6. scale — size or range
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. rush — hurry
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. court — for sport
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. tube — the underground
  14. cell — in biology
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. court — of a king
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. pit — a hole
  20. court — of law
  21. cell — a phone
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. mine — for digging
  24. tube — in a tire

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