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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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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: mug · jam · kid · pitch · court · last · bowl · staff

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. court — of a king
  4. last — final
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. mug — a cup
  8. mug — to rob
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. kid — child
  11. kid — to tease
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. mug — a face
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — employees
  18. last — to go on
  19. court — of law
  20. staff — a stick
  21. court — for sport
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — finally
  24. bowl — a dish

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