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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.

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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: shower · suit · calf · rock · season · lean · bat · court

  1. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. lean — to bend
  3. season — in sport
  4. suit — clothes
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. rock — music
  8. lean — thin
  9. season — of the year
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. shower — rain
  17. bat — the animal
  18. court — for sport
  19. court — of law
  20. shower — to wash
  21. suit — to fit
  22. court — of a king
  23. rock — a stone
  24. calf — of the leg

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