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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: court · game · chest · season · lean · ball · bulb · rock

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. lean — to bend
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. ball — a dance
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — a stone
  9. bulb — for light
  10. game — a match
  11. chest — of your body
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. chest — a box
  14. season — of the year
  15. court — of law
  16. ball — a great time
  17. lean — thin
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bulb — for light
  20. season — in sport
  21. rock — music
  22. lean — to rest against
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. court — for sport

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