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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: tube · ground · fine · rush · cap · court · pitch · file

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I assure you, everything's ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — crushed
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. court — for sport
  8. tube — the underground
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. file — a document
  11. pitch — completely
  12. cap — a hat
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a tool
  15. ground — a position
  16. tube — a container
  17. court — of a king
  18. cap — a lid
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rush — hurry
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. cap — of ice
  23. court — of law
  24. fine — all right

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