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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — for sport
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. field — farmland
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. season — of the year
  11. cap — a hat
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. snap — to click
  16. field — a subject
  17. court — of a king
  18. rock — a stone
  19. pitch — completely
  20. cap — a lid
  21. rock — music
  22. cap — of ice
  23. season — in sport
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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