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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: ball · stand · content · court · stem · spring · pitch · hide

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  5. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The players ran onto the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — for sport
  3. content — the amount
  4. stem — a stem cell
  5. stem — to come from
  6. ball — a dance
  7. pitch — completely
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. court — of law
  10. content — happy
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a great time
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. court — of a king
  18. spring — of water
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. spring — the season
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stand — to bear
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pitch — a sports field

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