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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: racket · lash · season · stand · scale · cap · court · bear

  1. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. season — of the year
  3. court — for sport
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. cap — a hat
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. court — of law
  12. season — in sport
  13. scale — size or range
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. scale — in music
  16. court — of a king
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. stand — to bear
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. cap — a lid
  22. bear — the animal
  23. bear — the animal
  24. stand — on your feet

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