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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: court · spring · pitch · march · jam · press · foot · rock

  1. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the button?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. foot — a measure
  5. rock — music
  6. court — of law
  7. press — newspapers
  8. rock — a stone
  9. march — the month
  10. spring — a coil
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. court — for sport
  13. press — to push
  14. pitch — completely
  15. spring — the season
  16. press — a publisher
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. spring — of water
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. march — music
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. foot — the bottom

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