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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · dip · fan · bark · court · date · wind · racket

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. Have you settled on a ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. season — of the year
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. season — in sport
  6. dip — to sink
  7. court — of law
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. date — the fruit
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. court — of a king
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. bark — to shout
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. court — for sport
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. wind — moving air

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