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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

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

Word bank: deal · pit · bat · court · racket · firm · spell · rash

  1. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. pit — a hole
  3. court — for sport
  4. spell — letters
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. court — of a king
  8. spell — magic
  9. pit — in a race
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. rash — a series
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. firm — a company
  16. bat — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — hasty
  22. firm — steady
  23. deal — to handle
  24. firm — decided

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