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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 116 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: calf · track · court · pitch · mug · pound · pitcher · spring

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. spring — a coil
  3. court — of law
  4. court — for sport
  5. spring — the season
  6. track — a song
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. mug — a face
  11. pitch — completely
  12. mug — a cup
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. spring — of water
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — a weight
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. mug — to rob
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. track — to keep track

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