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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: deal · tear · sharp · calf · pit · court · season · spell

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. deal — to handle
  3. tear — to rip
  4. sharp — clever
  5. court — of a king
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spell — magic
  8. season — of the year
  9. spell — a short time
  10. pit — a hole
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. tear — from crying
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. season — in sport
  18. spell — letters
  19. court — for sport
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. pit — in a race
  22. tear — from crying
  23. court — of law
  24. season — to add flavour

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