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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.

Words on the sheet
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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 · bark · wave · season · pit · kid · object · ball

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. court — of law
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. season — in sport
  8. object — an aim
  9. court — for sport
  10. ball — a dance
  11. kid — child
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. pit — in a race
  15. object — a thing
  16. season — of the year
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. bark — a dog's sound
  20. kid — to tease
  21. court — of a king
  22. bark — to shout
  23. pit — a hole
  24. object — to protest

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