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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · cap · chest · fine · club · court · mine · root

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  3. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. chest — a box
  3. root — the cause
  4. court — for sport
  5. season — in sport
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. court — of a king
  11. root — of a word
  12. root — of a plant
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. cap — a hat
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cap — of ice
  17. fine — all right
  18. mine — for digging
  19. fine — high quality
  20. club — a group
  21. court — of law
  22. chest — of your body
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

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