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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bank — for money
  3. ball — a dance
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. last — finally
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. rest — what's left
  9. court — of law
  10. bank — for money
  11. can — a tin
  12. bank — of a river
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. root — of a plant
  15. last — final
  16. can — a tin
  17. season — of the year
  18. root — of a word
  19. court — of a king
  20. ball — a great time
  21. root — the cause
  22. last — to go on
  23. court — for sport
  24. can — to be able to

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