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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: court · prune · season · date · stand · pass · snap · game

  1. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. prune — the fruit
  2. stand — to bear
  3. court — for sport
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. court — of law
  6. game — a match
  7. prune — to trim
  8. court — of a king
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. snap — to click
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. game — wild animals
  13. prune — to trim
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. season — of the year
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. date — the fruit
  21. season — in sport
  22. pass — a permit
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. pass — to spend time

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