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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: content · fall · mug · key · temple · racket · pit · court

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. court — for sport
  3. temple — side of the head
  4. court — of law
  5. pit — a hole
  6. mug — a cup
  7. court — of a king
  8. key — the most important part
  9. key — for a lock
  10. mug — to rob
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mug — a face
  13. fall — to drop
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. key — in music
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. content — happy
  24. content — the amount

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