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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. season — of the year
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. court — for sport
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. court — of a king
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. rash — hasty
  12. court — of law
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. vault — an arched ceiling
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. rash — a series
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bark — to shout
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. squash — to crush
  24. squash — the sport

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