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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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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: date · bat · calf · saw · branch · season · court · bowl

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She's very handy with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. court — of law
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. season — of the year
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. date — the fruit
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. saw — the tool
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. branch — a division
  22. bat — the animal
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. saw — the tool

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