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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.

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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: pound · season · wound · fine · mark · court · lean · suit

  1. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — in cards
  3. suit — to fit
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. wound — an injury
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. mark — a grade
  9. lean — thin
  10. fine — all right
  11. pound — a weight
  12. lean — to bend
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. season — in sport
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. season — of the year
  19. wound — an injury
  20. court — of a king
  21. mark — a trace
  22. fine — high quality
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. pound — to hit hard

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