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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 116 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: cabinet · pop · season · key · rest · band · ball · court

  1. The ball is in your ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — for sport
  2. court — of a king
  3. rest — what's left
  4. key — for a lock
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. court — of law
  8. rest — a break
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. band — a ring
  11. key — in music
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. ball — a great time
  14. pop — music
  15. band — a music group
  16. season — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. rest — what's left
  21. key — the most important part
  22. ball — a dance
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — soda

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