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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. can — a tin
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. club — a group
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of law
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. can — a tin
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. rest — what's left
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. club — for golf
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. club — for dancing
  18. rest — a break

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