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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: safe · bulb · pit · rest · calf · season · drill · court

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  5. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. bulb — for light
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. court — of law
  7. bulb — of a plant
  8. rest — what's left
  9. drill — army training
  10. court — for sport
  11. pit — a hole
  12. rest — what's left
  13. court — of a king
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. bulb — for light
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. season — of the year
  20. season — in sport
  21. pit — in a race
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. rest — a break

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