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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 116 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: pitcher · net · season · calf · trunk · mark · court · object

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. object — a thing
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. mark — a grade
  7. object — an aim
  8. net — in sport
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. object — to protest
  12. court — of a king
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. season — in sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. mark — a trace
  18. court — of law
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. net — for catching
  21. court — for sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. season — of the year

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