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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 116 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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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 · court · staff · can · bat · rush · mark · fall

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. fall — to drop
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. staff — employees
  5. court — of law
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. pit — a hole
  9. can — a tin
  10. mark — a grade
  11. rush — hurry
  12. court — of a king
  13. mark — a trace
  14. staff — employees
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. staff — a stick
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. can — a tin
  22. can — to be able to
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. rush — a thrill

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