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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. court — of a king
  3. court — for sport
  4. season — of the year
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. firm — steady
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. game — wild animals
  9. firm — decided
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. object — an aim
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. season — in sport
  15. pound — a weight
  16. bear — the animal
  17. court — of law
  18. bear — the animal
  19. object — a thing
  20. firm — a company
  21. object — to protest
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. calf — a young animal
  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