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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.

Make a worksheet

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: court · content · fan · key · race · leaves · mark · fine

  1. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. mark — a trace
  3. fine — all right
  4. key — in music
  5. race — humankind
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. key — for a lock
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — happy
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. court — for sport
  13. race — a contest
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. content — the amount
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. court — of law
  19. key — the most important part
  20. race — the arms race
  21. fine — high quality
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. mark — a grade
  24. court — of a king

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