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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: pitcher · court · roll · lie · pit · row · hand · lean

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. roll — a list
  3. hand — help
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. lie — to recline
  6. lean — thin
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. pit — in a race
  11. row — a line
  12. court — for sport
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. lean — to bend
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. row — to paddle
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. pit — a hole
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. roll — a cake
  24. court — of law

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