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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: ball · court · sharp · bark · saw · season · calf · pass

  1. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — with an edge
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. saw — the tool
  5. pass — a permit
  6. ball — a great time
  7. saw — the tool
  8. season — of the year
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. court — of law
  11. bark — a dog's sound
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. ball — a dance
  15. bark — to shout
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. court — of a king
  20. season — in sport
  21. sharp — clever
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. calf — a young animal

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