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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: suit · season · leaves · spell · fine · court · root · pass

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. court — for sport
  3. spell — letters
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. fine — all right
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. leaves — of a tree
  8. spell — magic
  9. root — the cause
  10. root — of a plant
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. suit — to fit
  13. season — in sport
  14. spell — a short time
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. root — of a word
  18. fine — high quality
  19. suit — clothes
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. leaves — to go away
  24. pass — a permit

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