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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: cap · net · pitcher · can · fork · hand · swing · court

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. swing — to play on
  3. court — of a king
  4. hand — in cards
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. hand — help
  7. cap — a hat
  8. swing — music
  9. net — after costs
  10. court — for sport
  11. net — in sport
  12. can — a tin
  13. cap — of ice
  14. net — for catching
  15. court — of law
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. fork — in a road
  20. cap — a lid
  21. can — to be able to
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. can — a tin
  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