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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: season · roll · pitch · current · court · land · can · stand

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. roll — a list
  3. can — to be able to
  4. pitch — completely
  5. can — a tin
  6. season — of the year
  7. roll — a cake
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. current — electric
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. current — happening now
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. court — of law
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. land — to come down
  17. current — of water
  18. court — of a king
  19. land — a country
  20. land — ground
  21. can — a tin
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. stand — to bear
  24. season — in sport

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