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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — for sport
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. pop — to visit
  5. court — of law
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rock — music
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. board — a committee
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. wound — an injury
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. court — of a king
  18. pop — soda
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cap — a hat
  21. board — to get on
  22. rock — a stone
  23. pop — music
  24. season — in sport

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