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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: fan · firm · leaves · jam · court · pitch · current · season

  1. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  8. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — completely
  2. season — of the year
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. current — happening now
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. firm — steady
  8. current — of water
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. court — for sport
  11. firm — decided
  12. court — of law
  13. firm — a company
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. court — of a king
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — electric
  23. season — in sport
  24. fan — to cool the air

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