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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: can · chip · spring · fall · season · bowl · court · pop

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. can — to be able to
  5. can — a tin
  6. pop — music
  7. fall — to drop
  8. fall — the season
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. pop — to visit
  11. season — in sport
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. chip — to eat
  14. chip — for betting
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. can — a tin
  17. spring — of water
  18. spring — the season
  19. fall — to drop
  20. spring — a coil
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. season — of the year
  23. pop — soda
  24. bowl — a dish

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