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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. pop — to visit
  3. rush — hurry
  4. staff — a stick
  5. spell — magic
  6. court — of law
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pop — music
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pop — soda
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — of a king
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. court — for sport
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. season — to add flavour

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