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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. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  10. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Beijing is the ________________ of China.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — for sport
  3. wave — of the sea
  4. track — a path
  5. drill — army training
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. drill — a practice
  9. wave — with your hand
  10. capital — a big letter
  11. court — of a king
  12. court — of law
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. track — to keep track
  15. season — in sport
  16. drill — the tool
  17. bark — to shout
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. track — a song
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. capital — money
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. capital — a city

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