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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 · deal · court · hide · drill · rush · cap · pop

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. court — for sport
  3. pop — music
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. pop — soda
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. cap — of ice
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. pop — to visit
  11. court — of law
  12. deal — to handle
  13. season — of the year
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. cap — a hat
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cap — a lid
  18. court — of a king
  19. drill — army training
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. season — in sport
  23. drill — a practice
  24. hide — to keep secret

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