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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  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. pitcher — a jug
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. spell — magic
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. spell — a short time
  7. last — final
  8. pit — in a race
  9. court — of law
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. court — for sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. suit — clothes
  18. can — a tin
  19. last — finally
  20. suit — to fit
  21. can — to be able to
  22. suit — in cards
  23. last — to go on
  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