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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. season — of the year
  4. land — to come down
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. key — in music
  7. land — a country
  8. court — of a king
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. mate — to breed
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mate — a friend
  15. court — of law
  16. land — ground
  17. court — for sport
  18. spring — the season
  19. mate — a partner
  20. key — the most important part
  21. spring — a coil
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. spring — of water
  24. safe — out of danger

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