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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 · swing · court · tear · roll · wave · ball · pitcher

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. court — of law
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. roll — a list
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ball — a dance
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. court — for sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. tear — to rip
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. swing — in golf
  19. court — of a king
  20. tear — from crying
  21. swing — music
  22. roll — a cake
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — in sport

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