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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 120 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: season · spring · foot · court · suit · key · bass · fine

  1. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. fine — all right
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. suit — to fit
  5. spring — the season
  6. foot — a measure
  7. court — of law
  8. suit — in cards
  9. key — the most important part
  10. court — of a king
  11. key — in music
  12. bass — low music
  13. season — of the year
  14. key — for a lock
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. spring — of water
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. spring — a coil
  20. suit — clothes
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — in sport
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. fine — high quality

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