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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 ball is in your ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. rock — a stone
  4. net — after costs
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. firm — decided
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. net — in sport
  9. lie — to recline
  10. firm — steady
  11. court — of a king
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. ball — a great time
  14. cold — not warm
  15. season — in sport
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. net — for catching
  18. cold — an illness
  19. firm — a company
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. ball — a dance
  22. court — of law
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. rock — music

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