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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 · court · board · bat · can · current · kid · leaves

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. leaves — lets stay
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. current — of water
  5. bat — the animal
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitch — completely
  9. can — a tin
  10. current — electric
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. board — to get on
  14. court — of a king
  15. court — for sport
  16. kid — to tease
  17. board — a flat piece
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. court — of law
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. can — to be able to
  23. board — a committee
  24. can — a tin

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