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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: court · pitch · face · ball · rush · fine · drill · staff

  1. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. ball — a great time
  3. ball — a dance
  4. court — of a king
  5. face — part of the head
  6. fine — high quality
  7. fine — all right
  8. drill — army training
  9. face — to confront
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. pitch — completely
  13. court — of law
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. staff — employees
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. drill — the tool
  18. staff — employees
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. drill — a practice
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. rush — hurry
  23. staff — a stick
  24. face — to point toward

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