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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.

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 · spell · fan · bark · mate · snap · season · swing

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. court — of law
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. court — for sport
  5. court — of a king
  6. mate — a friend
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. mate — a partner
  10. season — in sport
  11. spell — letters
  12. swing — to play on
  13. spell — magic
  14. mate — to breed
  15. swing — music
  16. snap — to click
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. spell — a short time
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — of the year

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