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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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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. season — of the year
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. ground — the earth
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. court — for sport
  12. club — for dancing
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. ground — a position
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wave — of the sea
  19. club — for golf
  20. club — a group
  21. wave — with your hand
  22. ground — crushed
  23. pitch — completely
  24. season — in sport

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