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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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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: fine · stem · season · court · wind · pit · ruler · mark

  1. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. fine — high quality
  7. court — for sport
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. fine — all right
  10. wind — moving air
  11. season — in sport
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stem — to come from
  15. mark — a trace
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. mark — a grade
  18. pit — in a race
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. pit — a hole
  21. court — of law
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. court — of a king
  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