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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: pit · trunk · season · suit · patient · court · temple · pitcher

  1. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. suit — to fit
  6. court — of law
  7. suit — in cards
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. season — in sport
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. patient — calm and waiting
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. season — of the year
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. court — of a king
  20. pit — a hole
  21. suit — clothes
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. pit — in a race
  24. pitcher — a jug

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