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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. march — the month
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — letters
  5. court — for sport
  6. season — in sport
  7. can — to be able to
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. march — music
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. court — of a king
  14. can — a tin
  15. can — a tin
  16. march — the month
  17. lean — to bend
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. deal — to handle
  20. kick — in football
  21. spell — magic
  22. season — of the year
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. spell — a short time

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