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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 116 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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. fine — all right
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. court — of a king
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. court — of law
  7. rush — hurry
  8. season — in sport
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. snap — to click
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. mug — a cup
  14. mug — a face
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mug — to rob
  18. fine — high quality
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. bulb — for light
  21. bulb — for light
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. season — of the year
  24. court — for sport

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