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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: court · degree · pit · board · content · charge · jam · cue

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. content — happy
  3. degree — an amount
  4. charge — electricity
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. board — to get on
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. cue — for pool
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. degree — from a university
  13. pit — in a race
  14. charge — a price
  15. charge — in control
  16. board — a committee
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. content — the amount
  19. degree — temperature
  20. pit — a hole
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. cue — a hint
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. court — of a king

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