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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: jam · court · pitcher · pop · tear · wind · pitch · lean

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. pitch — completely
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. tear — to rip
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. wind — moving air
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. tear — from crying
  11. pop — to visit
  12. court — of law
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of a king
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. lean — thin
  18. tear — from crying
  19. pop — soda
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. lean — to bend
  24. pop — music

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