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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: pit · lash · chest · court · tear · stock · season · fan

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. season — of the year
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. tear — from crying
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. tear — to rip
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. tear — from crying
  12. pit — a hole
  13. chest — of your body
  14. chest — a box
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. stock — goods
  18. court — for sport
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. court — of a king
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — shares
  23. pit — in a race
  24. chest — of your body

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