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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 120 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: file · ground · tube · drill · degree · court · bound · pit

  1. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. tube — the underground
  3. court — for sport
  4. ground — a position
  5. degree — from a university
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. court — of law
  9. bound — tied together
  10. file — a tool
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. pit — in a race
  13. file — a document
  14. ground — crushed
  15. bound — obliged
  16. degree — temperature
  17. ground — the earth
  18. file — a line of people
  19. pit — a hole
  20. tube — a container
  21. drill — army training
  22. bound — certain
  23. court — of a king
  24. drill — the tool

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