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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 120 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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. land — ground
  3. season — in sport
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. wound — an injury
  6. pop — music
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. court — for sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. wake — a trail
  13. land — a country
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. season — of the year
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wound — an injury
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. pop — to visit
  22. land — to come down
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pop — soda

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