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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  4. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. wave — with your hand
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — for sport
  8. pass — a permit
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ball — a dance
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. court — of law
  19. tear — from crying
  20. court — of a king
  21. vault — an arched ceiling
  22. vault — a safe
  23. ball — a great time
  24. pass — to spend 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