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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 120 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. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. season — in sport
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. chair — a leader
  9. last — final
  10. bound — obliged
  11. rest — what's left
  12. last — finally
  13. bound — certain
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — for sport
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of a king
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. rest — a break
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bound — tied together

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