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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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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: bat · roll · leaves · fine · season · bark · rest · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. roll — a list
  6. fine — all right
  7. season — of the year
  8. fine — high quality
  9. bat — the animal
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. rest — a break
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. rest — what's left
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. bark — to shout
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. season — in sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. roll — a cake
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. bat — for baseball

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