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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: plane · pitcher · deal · track · fan · court · pit · wake

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. court — for sport
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pit — in a race
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. track — a song
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. court — of a king
  18. deal — to handle
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. pit — a hole
  22. court — of law
  23. plane — a tool
  24. wake — a trail

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