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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. last — finally
  3. ball — a dance
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. last — final
  6. ball — a great time
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. court — for sport
  9. season — of the year
  10. last — to go on
  11. dip — to sink
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. land — ground
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. suit — clothes
  16. land — to come down
  17. court — of a king
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. court — of law
  20. land — a country
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. suit — in cards
  23. suit — to fit
  24. season — in sport

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