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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: game · mate · ground · court · squash · season · content · suit

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. season — of the year
  3. content — the amount
  4. suit — to fit
  5. ground — crushed
  6. game — a match
  7. suit — in cards
  8. court — of a king
  9. suit — clothes
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. ground — a position
  12. squash — the sport
  13. court — for sport
  14. mate — to breed
  15. squash — to crush
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. content — happy
  18. mate — a friend
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. ground — the earth
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. mate — a partner
  24. court — of law

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