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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. cap — of ice
  3. season — in sport
  4. spell — magic
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. hand — help
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. spell — letters
  13. prune — to trim
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. court — of law
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bear — the animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. hand — in cards
  20. spell — a short time
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bear — the animal
  23. prune — to trim
  24. court — for 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