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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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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. She's very handy with a ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  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. court — for sport
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. bore — to drill
  6. bore — gave birth
  7. saw — the tool
  8. court — of law
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. bore — to tire
  12. ball — a dance
  13. pit — a hole
  14. fork — in a road
  15. pit — in a race
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. net — for catching
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. saw — the tool
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. ball — a great time
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  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