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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 120 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: hide · pass · court · pitcher · mug · fall · tube · spring

  1. He is an ace ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. court — of a king
  3. mug — a cup
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pass — a permit
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. spring — of water
  8. mug — to rob
  9. spring — the season
  10. fall — the season
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pass — to succeed
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. tube — the underground
  15. court — of law
  16. tube — a container
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. spring — a coil
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. mug — a face
  22. court — for sport
  23. fall — to drop
  24. hide — animal skin

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