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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.

Words on the sheet
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: bowl · rash · field · board · calf · kid · hand · court

  1. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. rash — hasty
  3. rash — a series
  4. hand — help
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. kid — child
  8. court — for sport
  9. court — of a king
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. field — for sport
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. board — a committee
  14. court — of law
  15. field — a subject
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. kid — to tease
  18. board — to get on
  19. field — farmland
  20. hand — in cards
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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