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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: swing · season · court · key · mark · mine · wake · roll

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — for sport
  3. swing — music
  4. season — of the year
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. key — in music
  8. mine — for digging
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. court — of law
  12. swing — to play on
  13. key — the most important part
  14. roll — a cake
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. key — for a lock
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. court — of a king
  23. wake — a trail
  24. swing — in golf

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