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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. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — of a king
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. court — for sport
  6. court — of law
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. season — in sport
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a music group
  11. ground — the earth
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. key — for a lock
  15. band — a ring
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. ground — a position
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. key — in music
  21. ground — crushed
  22. key — the most important part
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. coach — a trainer

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