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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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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: wind · wave · racket · court · pop · drill · bay · pit

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. pit — in a race
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. wind — moving air
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. wind — moving air
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. court — of a king
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. drill — army training
  18. pit — a hole
  19. drill — a practice
  20. court — for sport
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. drill — the tool
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. court — of law

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