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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 120 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.

Make a worksheet

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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Word bank
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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: pitcher · lie · chest · saw · court · bowl

  1. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. court — of a king
  4. chest — of your body
  5. saw — the tool
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. lie — to recline
  9. chest — a box
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. chest — of your body
  13. court — of law
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. court — for sport
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. pitcher — a jug

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