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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. ball — a dance
  3. spring — of water
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. current — of water
  6. ball — a great time
  7. current — happening now
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — for sport
  12. current — electric
  13. season — of the year
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. spring — the season
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. court — of a king
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. court — of law

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