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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: temple · season · pitcher · court · can · file · pit · field

  1. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. field — farmland
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. file — a document
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. field — a subject
  9. season — in sport
  10. can — a tin
  11. court — of law
  12. field — for sport
  13. can — a tin
  14. temple — side of the head
  15. season — of the year
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pit — in a race
  19. file — a line of people
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. file — a tool

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