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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: jam · patient · spring · chair · cabinet · key · court · season

  1. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  8. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. spring — the season
  3. court — of a king
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. key — for a lock
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. spring — a coil
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. court — for sport
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. chair — a leader
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. spring — of water
  14. key — in music
  15. court — of law
  16. season — of the year
  17. season — in sport
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. key — the most important part
  24. patient — calm and waiting

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