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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: key · rock · pass · land · court · bore · season · arm

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. key — for a lock
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. bore — to drill
  5. court — of law
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. key — the most important part
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. rock — a stone
  11. season — of the year
  12. pass — a permit
  13. key — in music
  14. bore — to tire
  15. land — a country
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. court — of a king
  19. land — ground
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. season — in sport
  22. rock — music
  23. land — to come down
  24. season — to add flavour

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