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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: calf · bass · prune · ball · pop · saw · court · march

  1. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  11. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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. court — for sport
  4. march — music
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. march — the month
  7. ball — a dance
  8. saw — the tool
  9. prune — to trim
  10. calf — of the leg
  11. prune — the fruit
  12. court — of a king
  13. bass — the fish
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. pop — music
  17. saw — the tool
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. pop — soda
  20. prune — to trim
  21. bass — low music
  22. march — the month
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. pop — to visit

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