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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 120 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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  6. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. rush — hurry
  3. court — of a king
  4. season — of the year
  5. mine — belonging to me
  6. bank — for money
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. vault — an arched ceiling
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — a short time
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bank — for money
  16. rest — what's left
  17. vault — a safe
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. spell — letters
  20. court — for sport
  21. spell — magic
  22. season — in sport
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. bank — of a river

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