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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: wind · fork · spell · mug · coach · pitch · sharp · court

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. court — of a king
  3. fork — a garden tool
  4. mug — to rob
  5. court — of law
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — a cup
  11. court — for sport
  12. mug — a face
  13. spell — a short time
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. spell — letters
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. spell — magic
  22. wind — moving air
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. pitch — completely

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