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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: ball · calf · wound · jam · kick · stock · club · leaves

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. ball — a dance
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. kick — in football
  7. ball — a great time
  8. club — for dancing
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stock — goods
  15. wound — an injury
  16. stock — shares
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. club — for golf
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. club — a group
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. leaves — lets stay
  24. leaves — of a tree

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