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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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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: court · pitcher · mug · rule · pitch · spell · pound · row

  1. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. court — of law
  3. court — for sport
  4. rule — government
  5. row — to paddle
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. row — a line
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — a short time
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. mug — to rob
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. spell — letters
  15. rule — a law
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mug — a face
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. mug — a cup
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. spell — magic
  24. row — a quarrel

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