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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: season · can · bulb · content · fine · court · cold · suit

  1. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The light ________________ burned out.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bulb — of a plant
  2. suit — clothes
  3. fine — high quality
  4. can — a tin
  5. cold — not warm
  6. fine — all right
  7. suit — to fit
  8. cold — an illness
  9. suit — in cards
  10. content — happy
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. court — for sport
  14. court — of law
  15. can — to be able to
  16. bulb — for light
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. can — a tin
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bulb — for light
  22. content — the amount
  23. season — in sport
  24. court — of a king

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