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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: pitch · mark · chest · court · charge · temple · season · kick

  1. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. chest — of your body
  2. kick — in football
  3. court — for sport
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. season — in sport
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. court — of a king
  8. chest — of your body
  9. season — of the year
  10. court — of law
  11. charge — in control
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. charge — a price
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. mark — a trace
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chest — a box
  20. mark — a grade
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. pitch — completely
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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