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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 · charge · stand · court · ball · prune · pound · field

  1. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. field — for sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. prune — to trim
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. court — of law
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stand — to bear
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ball — a great time
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. ball — a dance
  14. charge — electricity
  15. court — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. court — of a king
  19. prune — to trim
  20. charge — in control
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. field — a subject
  24. pound — a weight

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