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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: deal · court · bear · race · fine · toast · date · season

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  15. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. fine — all right
  3. bear — to put up with
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. race — humankind
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. deal — to handle
  9. court — of law
  10. race — a contest
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. toast — bread
  14. bear — the animal
  15. date — the fruit
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. race — the arms race
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. fine — high quality
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. bear — the animal
  24. season — in sport

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