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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: saw · season · racket · bear · bat · court · arm · game

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He works in a ________________ mill.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  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. game — a kind of play
  2. game — wild animals
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. season — of the year
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — a match
  7. arm — part of the body
  8. season — in sport
  9. court — of law
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. saw — the tool
  20. court — for sport
  21. saw — the tool
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  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