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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.

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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: wound · suit · bowl · ball · pitcher · pass · file · court

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of law
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. file — a document
  11. court — of a king
  12. file — a tool
  13. suit — clothes
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. wound — an injury
  19. ball — a dance
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. file — a line of people
  22. suit — to fit
  23. pass — a permit
  24. wound — an injury

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