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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: game · drill · court · pass · stem · pitcher · suit · snap

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. drill — army training
  3. game — wild animals
  4. snap — to click
  5. suit — to fit
  6. suit — clothes
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. pass — a permit
  9. suit — in cards
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — to come from
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. court — for sport
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. drill — a practice
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — a match
  21. court — of a king
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. court — of law
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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