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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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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: pitch · rash · court · tube · bowl · saw · toast · pound

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. She's very handy with a ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. saw — the tool
  3. court — of a king
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rash — hasty
  6. pound — a weight
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. court — of law
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. tube — a container
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. pitch — completely
  19. rash — a series
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. court — for sport
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. toast — bread

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