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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. rush — hurry
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. spring — of water
  7. ball — a great time
  8. present — the time now
  9. spring — the season
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. present — a gift
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. ball — a dance
  20. present — there
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — in sport
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. spring — a coil

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