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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: season · stick · last · court · scale · game · chair · straw

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. chair — a leader
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. season — of the year
  8. game — a match
  9. court — of a king
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. last — finally
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. court — for sport
  14. last — to go on
  15. court — of law
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — wild animals
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. scale — size or range
  20. last — final
  21. scale — in music
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. season — to add flavour

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