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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 ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. present — the time now
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. leaves — of a tree
  6. court — for sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. court — of a king
  9. pitch — completely
  10. season — in sport
  11. present — there
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. present — a gift
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. spring — a coil
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spring — of water
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. spring — the season
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — of the year
  22. branch — a division
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. branch — of a tree

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