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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: season · file · court · present · calf · vault · pound · wake

  1. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. court — of law
  3. vault — a safe
  4. court — for sport
  5. present — a gift
  6. season — in sport
  7. present — the time now
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. file — a tool
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. pound — a weight
  17. present — there
  18. wake — a trail
  19. season — of the year
  20. file — a line of people
  21. file — a document
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wake — before a funeral

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