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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: pitch · spell · net · shower · pit · rush · bore · court

  1. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  2. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bore — to drill
  2. shower — to wash
  3. net — for catching
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. spell — letters
  6. spell — magic
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. court — for sport
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pit — in a race
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bore — to tire
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. net — in sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. spell — a short time
  18. court — of law
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. net — after costs
  21. pitch — completely
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. shower — rain
  24. rush — a thrill

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