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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: pit · snap · wax · court · racket · lie · patient · mug

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. patient — calm and waiting
  4. court — for sport
  5. pit — in a race
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. lie — to recline
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. wax — to grow
  12. court — of law
  13. mug — to rob
  14. snap — to click
  15. court — of a king
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. mug — a face
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. mug — a cup
  23. pit — a hole
  24. racket — a loud noise

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