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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 · mark · pass · capital · racket · rock · court · ground

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. court — of law
  7. court — of a king
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. capital — a city
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mark — a grade
  13. mark — a trace
  14. rock — a stone
  15. ground — the earth
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ground — a position
  18. capital — money
  19. court — for sport
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. ground — crushed
  22. rock — music
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to spend time

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