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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.

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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: pitch · plane · drill · rest · bound · court · chair · bat

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. court — of a king
  3. drill — army training
  4. rest — what's left
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. court — of law
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bound — certain
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. bound — obliged
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chair — a leader
  17. bound — tied together
  18. plane — a tool
  19. court — for sport
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rest — a break
  22. rest — what's left
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. pitch — completely

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