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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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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: swing · court · rush · pitch · wake · spring · kick · leaves

  1. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sports field
  2. kick — in football
  3. court — for sport
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. swing — in golf
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. spring — of water
  9. swing — to play on
  10. court — of a king
  11. court — of law
  12. wake — a trail
  13. swing — music
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. rush — hurry
  16. pitch — completely
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. spring — the season
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. rush — to hurry
  23. spring — a coil
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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