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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 120 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: court · sharp · board · rash · dip · leaves · calf · rest

  1. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. rash — hasty
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. court — of law
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. board — a committee
  8. rest — a break
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. board — to get on
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. rest — what's left
  13. dip — to sink
  14. rest — what's left
  15. leaves — to go away
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rash — a series
  19. sharp — clever
  20. court — of a king
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. court — for sport

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