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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. spell — a short time
  3. court — of law
  4. spell — magic
  5. stock — goods
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — shares
  8. lean — thin
  9. bear — the animal
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. cap — a lid
  14. season — of the year
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. ball — a dance
  19. spell — letters
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. ball — a great time
  23. lean — to bend
  24. bear — the animal

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