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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — for sport
  3. pit — in a race
  4. pit — a hole
  5. spring — the season
  6. cue — for pool
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. spring — a coil
  11. spring — of water
  12. court — of a king
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. row — to paddle
  15. cue — a signal
  16. court — of law
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. row — a line
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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