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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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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: march · file · pitcher · snap · pit · court · trunk · firm

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. firm — decided
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — of a king
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. court — of law
  10. snap — to click
  11. march — music
  12. snap — to snap out of it
  13. firm — steady
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. pit — a hole
  16. march — the month
  17. file — a document
  18. court — for sport
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. file — a tool
  22. file — a line of people
  23. firm — a company
  24. march — the month

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