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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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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 · bore · swing · court · race · ruler · foot · dip

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. bore — to tire
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. swing — to play on
  6. bore — to drill
  7. race — the arms race
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. swing — music
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — a measure
  12. court — of law
  13. swing — in golf
  14. race — humankind
  15. pit — a hole
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. pit — in a race
  18. court — of a king
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. foot — the bottom
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. dip — to sink
  23. race — a contest
  24. ruler — for measuring

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