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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. When will it ________________ you to start?
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. leaves — of a tree
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. suit — in cards
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. mine — for digging
  8. suit — to fit
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. court — of law
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. present — the time now
  16. season — in sport
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. present — a gift
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. court — of a king
  24. bowl — a football final

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