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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 · calf · spell · ball · can · chip · tear · march

  1. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. court — for sport
  3. can — a tin
  4. court — of a king
  5. court — of law
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. chip — to eat
  8. spell — a short time
  9. ball — a great time
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. can — a tin
  13. spell — letters
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. tear — from crying
  19. spell — magic
  20. can — to be able to
  21. march — music
  22. tear — from crying
  23. march — the month
  24. tear — to rip

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