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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: pitcher · season · stand · trunk · hand · current · court · toast

  1. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. I can't ________________ this cold.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. hand — help
  6. current — happening now
  7. court — of law
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. season — of the year
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. stand — to bear
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. hand — in cards
  14. season — in sport
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. court — of a king
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. current — of water
  23. current — electric
  24. pitcher — a jug

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