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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: court · lean · pitcher · pit · foot · tube · rash · saw

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — of law
  4. pit — in a race
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rash — a series
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. tube — a container
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of a king
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. lean — thin
  14. saw — past of 'see'
  15. lean — to bend
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. foot — a measure
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rash — hasty
  21. saw — the tool
  22. tube — the underground
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. pit — a hole

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