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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 116 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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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 · pitcher · sharp · ruler · season · rest · tear · pitch

  1. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. ruler — a monarch
  2. sharp — clever
  3. court — for sport
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. pitch — completely
  6. season — in sport
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — to rip
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rest — a break
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. rest — what's left
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — of law
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. tear — from crying
  21. rest — what's left
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. court — of a king

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