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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 116 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.

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: bay · ground · bass · cap · court · content · pit · fan

  1. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. content — happy
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — of a king
  6. pit — in a race
  7. cap — of ice
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. cap — a lid
  10. ground — crushed
  11. court — of law
  12. bass — low music
  13. cap — a hat
  14. content — the amount
  15. court — for sport
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. ground — the earth
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. ground — a position
  24. pit — a hole

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