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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · kick · pass · season · pound · can · racket · roll

  1. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — with a leg
  2. pass — a permit
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. season — of the year
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. roll — a cake
  7. court — for sport
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. season — in sport
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. kick — in football
  15. court — of a king
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. can — to be able to
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — a list
  22. court — of law
  23. can — a tin
  24. pound — a weight

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