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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. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. race — a contest
  3. court — for sport
  4. rock — music
  5. game — a match
  6. court — of law
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. press — to push
  10. press — newspapers
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. season — in sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. race — humankind
  16. race — the arms race
  17. press — a publisher
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. patient — calm and waiting
  20. rock — a stone
  21. game — wild animals
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. court — of a king

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