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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: court · wound · bulb · wake · march · racket · pitch · pit

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. wake — a trail
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. court — for sport
  6. wound — an injury
  7. court — of law
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. march — the month
  11. court — of a king
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. bulb — for light
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bulb — for light
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. wake — before a funeral
  22. march — music
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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