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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.

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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: hide · calf · saw · fine · chest · court · last · game

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. court — for sport
  4. court — of a king
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. game — wild animals
  7. saw — the tool
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. court — of law
  15. saw — the tool
  16. chest — of your body
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fine — all right
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. game — a match
  23. last — finally
  24. chest — a box

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