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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 · stick · stand · drill · court · clip · root · lash

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. drill — army training
  3. stand — to bear
  4. drill — a practice
  5. court — of a king
  6. root — of a word
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. court — for sport
  9. root — of a plant
  10. pit — a hole
  11. drill — the tool
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. root — the cause
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. pit — in a race
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. court — of law
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. lash — to lash out
  21. clip — for paper
  22. clip — to cut
  23. clip — a video
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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