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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: lean · degree · pitch · bat · court · mine · pass · charge

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  10. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. court — for sport
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. lean — thin
  6. pass — a permit
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. charge — electricity
  10. lean — to bend
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. charge — in control
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. court — of law
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. court — of a king
  21. mine — for digging
  22. degree — an amount
  23. charge — a price
  24. lean — to rest against

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