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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
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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: pitcher · lie · chest · saw · court · bowl · track · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. lie — to recline
  3. saw — the tool
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. track — a path
  7. chest — of your body
  8. track — to keep track
  9. court — of a king
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. track — a song
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chest — of your body
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. chest — a box
  18. court — for sport
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pit — in a race
  21. court — of law
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. lie — an untruth

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