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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.

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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: bat · bowl · leaves · key · saw · season · court · squash

  1. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. bat — the animal
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. key — in music
  6. court — of a king
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. squash — to crush
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. squash — the sport
  11. key — for a lock
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. season — in sport
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. court — for sport
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. season — of the year
  21. court — of law
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. saw — the tool
  24. key — the most important part

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