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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: cue · fine · leaves · ball · file · stem · season · court

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. file — a tool
  4. fine — all right
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. file — a line of people
  7. ball — a great time
  8. file — a document
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. court — of law
  12. stem — to come from
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. fine — high quality
  16. season — of the year
  17. court — for sport
  18. cue — a hint
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. court — of a king
  22. cue — for pool
  23. season — in sport
  24. cue — a signal

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