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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: jam · content · race · ball · patient · sharp · pass · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  24. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. ball — a great time
  5. court — of law
  6. content — happy
  7. court — for sport
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. race — humankind
  11. pass — a permit
  12. race — a contest
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. ball — a dance
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. sharp — clever
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. patient — a sick person
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. content — the amount
  23. patient — calm and waiting
  24. race — the arms race

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