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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. net — for catching
  4. drill — army training
  5. file — a line of people
  6. court — of law
  7. rock — music
  8. court — for sport
  9. net — after costs
  10. drill — a practice
  11. wake — a trail
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. file — a document
  14. pit — a hole
  15. rock — a stone
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pit — in a race
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. net — in sport
  22. drill — the tool
  23. file — a tool
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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