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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 116 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. drill — a practice
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — in sport
  5. court — of law
  6. pop — music
  7. drill — army training
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. spring — the season
  10. spring — of water
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. spring — a coil
  13. pop — soda
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. pop — to visit
  16. cap — of ice
  17. cap — a lid
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. drill — the tool
  20. court — of a king
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. cap — a hat

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