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

Word bank: roll · rest · jam · board · calf · court · pit · kick

  1. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. roll — a cake
  5. rest — a break
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pit — a hole
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. court — of law
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. board — a committee
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pit — in a race
  14. court — for sport
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. board — to get on
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. court — of a king
  21. kick — in football
  22. rest — what's left
  23. roll — a list
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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