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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: court · pitcher · ground · cap · field · mark · jam · mug

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. cap — a lid
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. field — farmland
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. court — for sport
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ground — crushed
  11. field — for sport
  12. ground — the earth
  13. field — a subject
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. mark — a trace
  16. court — of a king
  17. mug — to rob
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. ground — a position
  22. court — of law
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. cap — of ice

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