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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: stick · season · court · spring · shower · suit · deal · cell

  1. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. court — of a king
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. season — in sport
  5. suit — to fit
  6. season — of the year
  7. cell — a phone
  8. spring — a coil
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. cell — in biology
  12. spring — of water
  13. suit — clothes
  14. court — of law
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. shower — to wash
  17. deal — a big deal
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. shower — rain
  21. court — for sport
  22. spring — the season
  23. suit — in cards
  24. deal — to handle

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