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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 · roll · tear · hand · bay · season · firm · pop

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  5. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. court — for sport
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. tear — from crying
  5. roll — a cake
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. firm — a company
  8. roll — a list
  9. pop — soda
  10. season — in sport
  11. hand — in cards
  12. firm — decided
  13. tear — to rip
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. tear — from crying
  17. pop — to visit
  18. season — of the year
  19. court — of a king
  20. firm — steady
  21. pop — music
  22. court — of law
  23. hand — help
  24. hand — part of the 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