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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  21. That must've been a ________________.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. season — in sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. court — of a king
  8. season — of the year
  9. swing — music
  10. court — of law
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. game — a match
  15. swing — to play on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. court — for sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. swing — in golf
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. rush — a thrill
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. cabinet — ministers

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