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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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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 · cap · bay · content · mark · hand · pit · file

  1. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. content — the amount
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. hand — part of the body
  4. file — a document
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. content — happy
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pit — in a race
  9. court — for sport
  10. file — a tool
  11. mark — a trace
  12. cap — of ice
  13. pit — a hole
  14. hand — in cards
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cap — a lid
  19. cap — a hat
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. court — of a king
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. hand — help
  24. court — of law

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