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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: pass · row · kid · object · court · pitcher · mug · fine

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. kid — child
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. court — of law
  7. mug — a cup
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. court — of a king
  12. object — to protest
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. object — an aim
  15. mug — to rob
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. kid — to tease
  18. row — to paddle
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mug — a face
  21. object — a thing
  22. pass — a permit
  23. fine — all right
  24. row — a line

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