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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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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 · pound · deal · lie · jam · season · race · craft

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. court — for sport
  3. season — of the year
  4. craft — a skill
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. court — of a king
  7. lie — to recline
  8. pound — a weight
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. race — the arms race
  12. court — of law
  13. race — humankind
  14. craft — boats
  15. jam — to spread on bread
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. deal — to handle
  20. race — a contest
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. season — in sport
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. pound — for dogs

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