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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 116 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 · stand · pitch · squash · bark · game · mine · mug

  1. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. court — for sport
  5. squash — to crush
  6. pitch — completely
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. court — of a king
  10. bark — of a tree
  11. court — of law
  12. stand — to bear
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. mug — to rob
  15. mug — a cup
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. mug — a face
  18. game — wild animals
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bark — to shout
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. squash — the sport
  24. game — a match

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