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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. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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. cue — for pool
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. court — of a king
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. deal — to handle
  14. sharp — clever
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. march — the month
  18. cue — a signal
  19. court — of law
  20. cue — a hint
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. fall — the season
  23. court — for sport
  24. mate — to breed

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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