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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: tear · court · press · cue · ball · game · can · pitch

  1. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the button?
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. can — a tin
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. game — a match
  5. can — to be able to
  6. cue — a signal
  7. press — a publisher
  8. tear — to rip
  9. tear — from crying
  10. ball — a dance
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. game — wild animals
  15. can — a tin
  16. court — of a king
  17. press — newspapers
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. press — to push
  20. pitch — completely
  21. ball — a great time
  22. tear — from crying
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cue — for pool

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