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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: rock · game · hide · spring · season · dip · court · perch

  1. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. court — of law
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. perch — the fish
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. court — for sport
  7. court — of a king
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. rock — music
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. spring — a coil
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rock — a stone
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. spring — of water
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. season — in sport
  22. dip — to sink
  23. hide — animal skin
  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