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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: court · roll · pit · mark · mouse · pitcher · shower · pound

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. mark — a trace
  3. pound — a weight
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. court — of a king
  6. shower — to wash
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a hole
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. roll — a list
  16. pit — in a race
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. roll — a cake
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. shower — rain
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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