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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: pit · court · rest · jam · scale · key · spring · season

  1. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. spring — a coil
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. pit — a hole
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. court — of law
  9. spring — the season
  10. scale — size or range
  11. key — the most important part
  12. pit — in a race
  13. court — of a king
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. court — for sport
  16. key — for a lock
  17. rest — what's left
  18. season — of the year
  19. season — in sport
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. key — in music
  22. rest — what's left
  23. scale — in music
  24. spring — of water

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