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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: court · foot · season · pound · track · rock · game · calf

  1. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. foot — a measure
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. court — for sport
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. season — of the year
  7. rock — music
  8. court — of law
  9. track — a song
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. track — to keep track
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. game — wild animals
  14. pound — a weight
  15. game — a match
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. season — in sport
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. rock — a stone
  22. court — of a king
  23. track — a path
  24. season — to add flavour

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