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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: chip · ground · swing · court · spring · wound · fine · season

  1. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. ground — the earth
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. ground — a position
  5. wound — an injury
  6. chip — to eat
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — music
  9. fine — all right
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — a coil
  12. wound — an injury
  13. chip — for betting
  14. ground — crushed
  15. court — of law
  16. fine — high quality
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of a king
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. season — in sport
  22. swing — in golf
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. season — of the year

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