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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: pit · stem · drill · wound · key · racket · court · jam

  1. This piece is in a major ________________.
  2. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. key — in music
  2. stem — of a plant
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. court — of a king
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stem — to come from
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. drill — the tool
  10. court — for sport
  11. key — the most important part
  12. court — of law
  13. key — for a lock
  14. pit — in a race
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. wound — an injury
  18. wound — an injury
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pit — a hole
  21. jam — in traffic
  22. drill — a practice
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. drill — army training

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