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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: racket · pit · game · fine · foot · ground · wind · drill

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. pit — in a race
  4. game — wild animals
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. drill — army training
  8. ground — the earth
  9. drill — a practice
  10. ground — a position
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. drill — the tool
  16. fine — high quality
  17. ground — crushed
  18. wind — moving air
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. game — a match
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  24. fine — all right

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