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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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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: racket · chair · cabinet · calf · snap · season · mark · spell

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. mark — a trace
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. season — of the year
  8. snap — to click
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. mark — a grade
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. chair — a leader
  14. season — in sport
  15. spell — a short time
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. spell — magic
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. spell — letters

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