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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: drill · ground · pound · pitcher · plane · swing · bowl · court

  1. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. drill — a practice
  5. plane — a tool
  6. court — for sport
  7. swing — music
  8. court — of a king
  9. ground — a position
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. drill — the tool
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pound — a weight
  16. ground — crushed
  17. plane — in geometry
  18. swing — in golf
  19. court — of law
  20. drill — army training
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. ground — the earth

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