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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bark · jam · present · mine · game · bowl · court · calf

  1. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. bark — to shout
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. game — a match
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. present — the time now
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. court — of a king
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. court — for sport
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. present — there
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mine — for digging
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. court — of law
  20. present — a gift
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. game — wild animals
  23. jam — in traffic
  24. mine — belonging to me

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