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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: ball · shower · court · current · pitch · season · firm · spell

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. spell — a short time
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. current — of water
  8. shower — rain
  9. spell — magic
  10. firm — steady
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. spell — letters
  13. season — of the year
  14. current — electric
  15. firm — decided
  16. shower — to wash
  17. firm — a company
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — of law
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ball — a dance
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. court — for sport
  24. current — happening now

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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