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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: pitch · board · land · saw · game · court · can · mark

  1. When are we going to ________________?
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — to come down
  2. court — of law
  3. pitch — completely
  4. court — for sport
  5. can — a tin
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. game — a match
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. land — a country
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. board — a committee
  16. saw — the tool
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mark — a grade
  19. court — of a king
  20. board — to get on
  21. land — ground
  22. mark — a trace
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. game — wild animals

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