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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.

Make a worksheet

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
468
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: court · kick · racket · scale · leaves · rash · season · wave

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. season — in sport
  3. court — of law
  4. kick — in football
  5. court — for sport
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. wave — of the sea
  10. rash — a series
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. court — of a king
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. rash — hasty
  23. season — of the year
  24. scale — for weighing

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