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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: fall · staff · pitcher · court · saw · mouse · pass · mine

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. staff — employees
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. pass — a permit
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. court — for sport
  10. court — of law
  11. staff — employees
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. saw — the tool
  15. fall — the season
  16. saw — the tool
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — for digging
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. staff — a stick
  24. mine — belonging to me

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