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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: net · ruler · season · sharp · game · last · club · calf

  1. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. club — for dancing
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. club — a group
  5. sharp — clever
  6. last — final
  7. club — for golf
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. net — for catching
  10. last — finally
  11. net — after costs
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. season — of the year
  14. game — a match
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. last — to go on
  19. net — in sport
  20. season — in sport
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. ruler — for measuring

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