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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: bat · bay · craft · court · pitch · season · cold · bear

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. My mare is ________________ in color.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. bear — the animal
  5. craft — a skill
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. bay — a horse colour
  9. pitch — completely
  10. court — for sport
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. season — in sport
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. craft — boats
  15. bat — the animal
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. cold — not warm
  20. court — of law
  21. court — of a king
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. cold — an illness

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