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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. The light ________________ burned out.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. I've got to change the light ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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. bulb — for light
  4. game — a match
  5. court — of law
  6. board — a committee
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pop — to visit
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. game — wild animals
  11. court — of a king
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. court — for sport
  15. squash — the sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bulb — for light
  19. pop — music
  20. squash — to crush
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. board — to get on
  24. pop — soda

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