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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.

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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: court · stand · bat · season · stick · last · hand · fine

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. last — final
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. stand — to bear
  8. hand — in cards
  9. court — of a king
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. fine — high quality
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. hand — help
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. last — finally
  19. bat — the animal
  20. last — to go on
  21. court — for sport
  22. season — in sport
  23. fine — all right
  24. bat — for baseball

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