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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: rash · pitcher · court · bank · stand · hand · foot · ball

  1. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — part of the body
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. hand — help
  5. court — of law
  6. ball — a great time
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. rash — a series
  10. bank — for money
  11. court — for sport
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. rash — hasty
  16. bank — for money
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bank — of a river
  20. court — of a king
  21. ball — a dance
  22. foot — a measure
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stand — to bear

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