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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
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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: court · scale · pit · date · pop · ball · dip · club

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. court — of law
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. pit — in a race
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. scale — size or range
  7. club — a group
  8. ball — a great time
  9. pop — to visit
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. court — for sport
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. club — for golf
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. ball — a dance
  16. court — of a king
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. scale — in music
  19. date — the fruit
  20. dip — to sink
  21. club — for dancing
  22. pop — music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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