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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.

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 · season · spring · lie · dip · plane · bark · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. The ________________ took off on time.
  24. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. court — of a king
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. season — of the year
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. season — in sport
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. spring — a coil
  11. court — of law
  12. spring — of water
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. plane — a tool
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. court — for sport
  20. lie — to recline
  21. spring — the season
  22. bark — to shout
  23. plane — an aircraft
  24. bark — of a tree

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