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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: sharp · season · bat · tube · stick · court · calf · mug

  1. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. bat — the animal
  3. season — in sport
  4. court — of law
  5. tube — the underground
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. mug — a face
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. season — of the year
  10. tube — a container
  11. sharp — clever
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. mug — a cup
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. court — of a king
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. court — for sport
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. calf — of the 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