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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: drill · court · pit · can · fan · content · racket · lie

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. lie — to recline
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. court — of a king
  7. drill — army training
  8. can — to be able to
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. can — a tin
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. content — happy
  14. drill — a practice
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. pit — a hole
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. drill — the tool
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. content — the amount
  24. can — a tin

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