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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 · spell · ball · fall · pitcher · ground · court · bore

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. There's no middle ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. ground — a position
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of law
  6. spell — a short time
  7. fall — to drop
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bore — to drill
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. ball — a great time
  14. spell — magic
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. ground — the earth
  17. spell — letters
  18. court — of a king
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. bore — to tire
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. fall — the season

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