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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: wound · rock · court · straw · pit · date · scale · season

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  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. pit — a fruit stone
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. wound — an injury
  4. wound — an injury
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. court — of law
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. rock — music
  10. scale — size or range
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. court — for sport
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. scale — in music
  16. pit — a hole
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. season — of the year
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pit — in a race
  22. date — the fruit
  23. straw — dry grass
  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