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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. season — of the year
  4. stand — to bear
  5. court — for sport
  6. capital — money
  7. spring — the season
  8. spring — a coil
  9. rest — a break
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. capital — a city
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rest — what's left
  14. pit — in a race
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. court — of law
  18. season — in sport
  19. rest — what's left
  20. stand — for spectators
  21. pit — a hole
  22. spring — of water
  23. capital — a big letter
  24. court — of a king

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