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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: wound · bowl · ball · bank · court · ground · pitch · pit

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bank — for money
  5. wound — an injury
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. wound — an injury
  9. ground — the earth
  10. ball — a great time
  11. ground — crushed
  12. court — of law
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. ball — a dance
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. bank — for money
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. court — for sport
  20. ground — a position
  21. bank — of a river
  22. pit — a hole
  23. pitch — completely
  24. ball — a round shape

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