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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. ground — the earth
  10. game — wild animals
  11. court — of a king
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. court — for sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. court — of law
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. ground — crushed
  20. shower — rain
  21. ground — a position
  22. shower — to wash
  23. stand — to bear
  24. pitch — completely

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