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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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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 · court · bat · calf · shower · ball · charge · present

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. charge — a price
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. charge — electricity
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. ball — a dance
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. charge — in control
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. present — the time now
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pitch — completely
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — of law
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. present — there
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. present — a gift

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