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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. hand — help
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. court — of a king
  9. court — of law
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pit — in a race
  12. last — finally
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. last — final
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. last — to go on
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mug — a face
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. hand — in cards

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