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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. staff — a stick
  3. chest — of your body
  4. staff — employees
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. pass — a permit
  8. court — for sport
  9. chest — of your body
  10. suit — in cards
  11. leaves — to go away
  12. season — of the year
  13. chest — a box
  14. mate — to breed
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. staff — employees
  17. mate — a friend
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. suit — clothes
  20. court — of law
  21. mate — a partner
  22. suit — to fit
  23. season — in sport
  24. leaves — lets stay

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