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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. court — of law
  3. roll — a cake
  4. court — for sport
  5. pop — music
  6. key — the most important part
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. roll — a list
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — of the year
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. pop — to visit
  18. key — for a lock
  19. pop — soda
  20. court — of a king
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. key — in music
  24. stand — to bear

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