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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · pitcher · field · fine · arm · court · bowl · temple

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. season — in sport
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. court — of a king
  8. field — a subject
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. fine — high quality
  12. fine — all right
  13. temple — side of the head
  14. court — of law
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. season — of the year
  17. field — farmland
  18. field — for sport
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. court — for sport
  24. temple — a place of worship

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