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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.

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: court · sharp · leaves · lie · pitch · season · stem · kid

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. sharp — clever
  4. court — for sport
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. court — of law
  7. pitch — completely
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kid — child
  12. court — of a king
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. stem — to come from
  15. lie — to recline
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. kid — to tease
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. sharp — with an edge

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