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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: field · club · pound · shower · spell · court · mug · pitch

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. pound — a weight
  3. field — farmland
  4. mug — to rob
  5. club — for golf
  6. field — a subject
  7. court — of law
  8. pound — to hit hard
  9. court — of a king
  10. spell — a short time
  11. shower — rain
  12. spell — letters
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. shower — to wash
  15. club — for dancing
  16. court — for sport
  17. spell — magic
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. mug — a cup
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. field — for sport
  23. pitch — completely
  24. mug — a face

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