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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  15. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — in sport
  3. stem — to come from
  4. court — for sport
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cue — for pool
  7. prune — to trim
  8. cue — a signal
  9. charge — a price
  10. court — of a king
  11. rock — a stone
  12. charge — electricity
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. perch — the fish
  15. prune — to trim
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. rock — music
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. charge — in control
  20. prune — the fruit
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. court — of law
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. cue — a hint

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