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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: saw · court · pit · drill · pop · foot · spell · pitcher

  1. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. pop — music
  4. drill — army training
  5. saw — the tool
  6. pop — soda
  7. pit — a hole
  8. court — for sport
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pop — to visit
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. drill — the tool
  13. spell — letters
  14. saw — the tool
  15. spell — magic
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. drill — a practice
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. pit — in a race

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