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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. season — in sport
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of law
  5. capital — money
  6. spring — of water
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. spring — a coil
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. saw — the tool
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. season — of the year
  16. court — of a king
  17. lie — to recline
  18. spring — the season
  19. bulb — for light
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. bulb — for light
  22. saw — the tool
  23. deal — to handle
  24. capital — a city

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