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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 · court · mine · season · bowl · mate · toast

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — of a king
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. court — of law
  5. court — for sport
  6. charge — in control
  7. toast — bread
  8. mate — a partner
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. mate — a friend
  12. season — in sport
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. charge — a price
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. mine — for digging
  24. charge — electricity

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