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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  3. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. pound — a weight
  3. pit — in a race
  4. cell — a phone
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. cell — in biology
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. wound — an injury
  9. court — of a king
  10. rock — a stone
  11. court — for sport
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pit — a hole
  14. rock — music
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. season — in sport
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. wound — an injury
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. season — of the year
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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