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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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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: lash · kid · ball · pit · season · chair · present · court

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. ball — a dance
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. season — in sport
  10. present — the time now
  11. present — there
  12. court — for sport
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ball — a great time
  15. chair — a leader
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. present — a gift
  19. kid — to tease
  20. kid — child
  21. pit — a hole
  22. pit — in a race
  23. court — of a king
  24. season — of the year

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