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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.

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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: bore · drill · cue · pitcher · content · row · court · stand

  1. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. court — of a king
  3. cue — for pool
  4. court — for sport
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. stand — to bear
  7. drill — army training
  8. content — the amount
  9. bore — to drill
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. drill — a practice
  12. court — of law
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. drill — the tool
  15. cue — a signal
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. content — happy
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. bore — to tire
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. row — to paddle
  23. cue — a hint
  24. row — a line

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