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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 120 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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. spring — the season
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. season — in sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. court — of law
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. dip — to sink
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. kid — to tease
  15. spring — a coil
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. court — for sport
  18. lash — an eyelash
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. spring — of water
  21. season — of the year
  22. dip — a sauce
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. dip — to dunk

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