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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.

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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 · deal · calf · court · capital · bank · board · spell

  1. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  12. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  13. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. spell — magic
  4. capital — a big letter
  5. deal — to handle
  6. season — of the year
  7. court — for sport
  8. spell — letters
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. board — a committee
  11. bank — for money
  12. board — to get on
  13. deal — an agreement
  14. bank — of a river
  15. capital — money
  16. capital — a city
  17. court — of law
  18. bank — for money
  19. spell — a short time
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. court — of a king

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