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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: saw · field · bass · court · rest · toast · season · spring

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. field — a subject
  4. rest — a break
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. court — of a king
  8. spring — of water
  9. bass — low music
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. saw — the tool
  12. toast — bread
  13. rest — what's left
  14. spring — a coil
  15. saw — the tool
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — for sport
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. season — in sport
  20. court — of law
  21. field — farmland
  22. bass — the fish
  23. spring — the season
  24. field — for sport

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