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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: pitch · chip · wake · kick · club · ball · season · court

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. court — for sport
  3. season — in sport
  4. ball — a dance
  5. chip — in a computer
  6. club — for dancing
  7. chip — for betting
  8. wake — a trail
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. kick — in football
  13. season — of the year
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. court — of a king
  16. chip — to eat
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. club — a group
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. pitch — completely
  22. court — of law
  23. club — for golf
  24. ball — a great time

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