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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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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: foot · cap · court · kick · leaves · calf · perch · mine

  1. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  2. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of law
  2. court — of a king
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. cap — a hat
  8. cap — of ice
  9. perch — the fish
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. kick — in football
  13. cap — a lid
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. foot — a measure
  17. mine — for digging
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. court — for sport
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. kick — with a leg

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