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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ground · mug · land · pit · pitcher · toast · court · spell

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. spell — magic
  3. mug — to rob
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. mug — a cup
  7. spell — a short time
  8. pit — in a race
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. court — of a king
  11. toast — bread
  12. ground — the earth
  13. land — a country
  14. ground — crushed
  15. mug — a face
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. land — to come down
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. ground — a position
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. spell — letters
  24. land — ground

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