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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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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 · object · racket · march · court · wake · face · bore

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. object — to protest
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. face — to point toward
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. season — in sport
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. face — part of the head
  10. court — of law
  11. march — music
  12. object — a thing
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. wake — a trail
  16. bore — to drill
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. face — to confront
  19. court — of a king
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. bore — to tire
  22. march — the month
  23. court — for sport
  24. march — the month

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