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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: court · vault · swing · season · fall · pound · spell · fine

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. season — in sport
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. spell — a short time
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. spell — letters
  9. fall — to drop
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fall — the season
  12. fall — to drop
  13. swing — in golf
  14. fine — high quality
  15. court — of law
  16. vault — a safe
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. swing — to play on
  19. court — of a king
  20. fine — all right
  21. pound — a weight
  22. season — of the year
  23. court — for sport
  24. spell — magic

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