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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 · ball · cabinet · pitch · bore · can · prune · straw

  1. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — dry grass
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — completely
  4. ball — a dance
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — to be able to
  7. court — of a king
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bore — to tire
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. court — for sport
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a great time
  19. prune — to trim
  20. can — a tin
  21. prune — to trim
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. bore — to drill
  24. court — of law

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