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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: court · mug · lash · season · mark · fine · bat · spring

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. spring — the season
  3. season — of the year
  4. court — of a king
  5. mug — a cup
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. court — for sport
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — high quality
  13. court — of law
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. mark — a grade
  16. spring — a coil
  17. fine — all right
  18. mug — to rob
  19. lash — an eyelash
  20. spring — of water
  21. mug — a face
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. bat — in an idiom

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