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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 · season · jam · drill · row · lie · spell · court

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. drill — the tool
  3. spell — magic
  4. season — of the year
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. court — of a king
  7. season — in sport
  8. pit — a hole
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. pit — in a race
  11. lie — to recline
  12. spell — letters
  13. jam — to spread on bread
  14. spell — a short time
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. row — a line
  17. court — for sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. court — of law
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. drill — a practice
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. drill — army training

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