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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.

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: racket · mate · court · jam · content · mug · degree · spell

  1. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Have you found your soul ________________?
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. spell — magic
  4. court — for sport
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. mug — a cup
  7. degree — an amount
  8. court — of law
  9. content — happy
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. mug — to rob
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mate — a partner
  15. mate — to breed
  16. mate — a friend
  17. spell — letters
  18. degree — from a university
  19. content — the amount
  20. court — of a king
  21. degree — temperature
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. spell — a short time

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