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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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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 · racket · pit · charge · content · clip · band · fan

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. band — a music group
  4. clip — a video
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. court — for sport
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. content — happy
  9. charge — in control
  10. charge — electricity
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. charge — a price
  13. court — of a king
  14. content — the amount
  15. content — videos and posts
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. clip — for paper
  19. pit — a hole
  20. court — of law
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. band — a ring
  24. clip — to cut

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