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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: season · kid · suit · can · mate · drill · court · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. When are we going to ________________?
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — of law
  4. kid — child
  5. mate — to breed
  6. can — a tin
  7. suit — in cards
  8. season — of the year
  9. land — ground
  10. can — a tin
  11. suit — clothes
  12. land — to come down
  13. drill — a practice
  14. court — for sport
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. drill — army training
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. drill — the tool
  20. kid — to tease
  21. suit — to fit
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. season — in sport
  24. can — to be able to

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