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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: calf · fine · bat · patient · spell · court · board · game

  1. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. spell — letters
  9. spell — a short time
  10. game — wild animals
  11. court — of a king
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. patient — calm and waiting
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. spell — magic
  17. court — of law
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. bat — the animal
  20. game — a match
  21. fine — all right
  22. court — for sport
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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