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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: pit · net · suit · degree · march · drill · court · foot

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. degree — an amount
  5. march — music
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. suit — in cards
  9. pit — a hole
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. degree — temperature
  12. suit — to fit
  13. drill — army training
  14. degree — from a university
  15. court — for sport
  16. suit — clothes
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. foot — a measure
  19. drill — a practice
  20. court — of law
  21. drill — the tool
  22. court — of a king
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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