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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — of law
  3. kick — in football
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. season — in sport
  6. spell — letters
  7. court — for sport
  8. last — to go on
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — a short time
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. tube — the underground
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. pop — to visit
  16. court — of a king
  17. pop — soda
  18. tube — a container
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. last — finally
  21. pop — music
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. last — final
  24. spell — magic

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