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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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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: bay · kick · game · pass · pit · court · mine · ruler

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. court — of a king
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. court — for sport
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. mine — for digging
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. game — wild animals
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. pit — in a race
  22. pit — a hole
  23. court — of law
  24. kick — in football

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