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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: season · firm · ball · cell · calf · spell · jam · bat

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — steady
  4. jam — in traffic
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. spell — a short time
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. spell — letters
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ball — a dance
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. firm — decided
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a great time
  23. bat — the animal
  24. cell — a phone

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