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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 · file · foot · season · mark · staff · calf · wound

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. staff — employees
  7. mark — a trace
  8. file — a document
  9. file — a line of people
  10. court — for sport
  11. foot — a measure
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. court — of law
  15. mark — a grade
  16. staff — employees
  17. staff — a stick
  18. season — of the year
  19. wound — an injury
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. file — a tool
  24. court — of a king

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