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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
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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: lie · game · field · race · pit · pitcher · court · drill

  1. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. court — of law
  3. drill — army training
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of a king
  6. race — humankind
  7. pit — in a race
  8. field — farmland
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. race — the arms race
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — a match
  15. race — a contest
  16. field — for sport
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. field — a subject
  19. drill — the tool
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. game — wild animals
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. court — for sport
  24. lie — to recline

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