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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. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. court — for sport
  3. rash — a series
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. season — of the year
  6. rest — what's left
  7. fine — all right
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — of law
  12. degree — from a university
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. degree — temperature
  16. fine — high quality
  17. rest — a break
  18. rash — hasty
  19. date — the fruit
  20. court — of a king
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. degree — an amount
  24. rest — what's left

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