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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. When was this ________________ built?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. can — a tin
  3. staff — a stick
  4. staff — employees
  5. court — of law
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. season — of the year
  8. lean — thin
  9. can — a tin
  10. stem — to come from
  11. can — to be able to
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. staff — employees
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. pass — a permit
  17. lean — to bend
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. stem — a stem cell
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. season — to add flavour

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