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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: bass · mate · calf · hand · court · leaves · season · rush

  1. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. bass — low music
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. season — in sport
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. season — of the year
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. court — of a king
  10. rush — hurry
  11. court — of law
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. court — for sport
  18. mate — a friend
  19. hand — in cards
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. mate — a partner
  22. bass — the fish
  23. mate — to breed
  24. rush — to hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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