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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — to play on
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. court — for sport
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. rock — music
  14. cap — a lid
  15. firm — steady
  16. season — in sport
  17. firm — decided
  18. court — of law
  19. rock — a stone
  20. firm — a company
  21. swing — in golf
  22. court — of a king
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — of ice

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