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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: mine · court · racket · lash · rash · season · can · ground

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. court — of law
  3. can — a tin
  4. mine — for digging
  5. ground — crushed
  6. court — for sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rash — a series
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. can — a tin
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. season — of the year
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. season — in sport
  19. ground — a position
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. rash — hasty
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. can — to be able to

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