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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: court · bound · kick · object · season · mark · game · charge

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  9. The tickets are free of ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. object — an aim
  5. court — of law
  6. charge — in control
  7. game — wild animals
  8. mark — a grade
  9. charge — a price
  10. season — in sport
  11. court — of a king
  12. kick — in football
  13. object — to protest
  14. game — a match
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — certain
  17. bound — tied together
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. charge — electricity
  20. mark — a trace
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. court — for sport
  24. object — a thing

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