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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 116 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
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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 · patient · degree · staff · squash · calf · track · court

  1. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. squash — to crush
  3. patient — a sick person
  4. court — for sport
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. degree — from a university
  7. degree — temperature
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. track — a song
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. season — in sport
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. staff — a stick
  15. track — to keep track
  16. staff — employees
  17. court — of law
  18. staff — employees
  19. court — of a king
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. degree — an amount
  22. squash — the sport
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. track — a path

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