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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: arm · date · content · pit · cell · court · rest · rock

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. content — the amount
  3. court — of law
  4. court — of a king
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. rock — music
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — a hole
  9. rest — what's left
  10. date — the fruit
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. cell — in biology
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. cell — a phone
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. rest — a break
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. pit — in a race
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. content — happy

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