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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
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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: bear · fan · deal · capital · trunk · court · season · hide

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. court — for sport
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. season — of the year
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bear — the animal
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. deal — to handle
  12. hide — animal skin
  13. bear — the animal
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. court — of a king
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. season — in sport
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. capital — money
  22. court — of law
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. fan — a supporter

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