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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: bass · mug · pitcher · season · cell · bay · court · staff

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cell — in biology
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. staff — a stick
  6. staff — employees
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. mug — to rob
  10. bass — low music
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. court — of law
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. bass — the fish
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. cell — a phone
  22. mug — a face
  23. court — of a king
  24. staff — employees

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