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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 120 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 · sharp · court · ground · bark · pass · wake · cabinet

  1. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. sharp — clever
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. season — in sport
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. bark — to shout
  9. season — of the year
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. ground — crushed
  12. pass — a permit
  13. court — of a king
  14. ground — a position
  15. court — of law
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. wake — a trail
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. ground — the earth
  23. court — for sport
  24. cabinet — ministers

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