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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.

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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 · bass · pitcher · swing · ground · season · bank · court

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He is an ace ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. court — for sport
  4. pitcher — in baseball
  5. ground — the earth
  6. court — of law
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. bass — low music
  9. court — of a king
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. season — in sport
  12. swing — to play on
  13. ground — a position
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. ground — crushed
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bank — for money
  18. bass — the fish
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. season — of the year
  21. bank — of a river
  22. swing — in golf
  23. swing — music
  24. bank — for money

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