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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: leaves · kid · court · net · calf · row · bass · ground

  1. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ball is in your ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  13. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. bass — the fish
  5. court — for sport
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. kid — child
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. net — after costs
  11. court — of a king
  12. ground — the earth
  13. row — a quarrel
  14. row — to paddle
  15. ground — crushed
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bass — low music
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. court — of law
  21. net — for catching
  22. kid — to tease
  23. ground — a position
  24. row — a line

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