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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: spell · ball · court · wake · bass · cell · calf · perch

  1. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — a young animal
  2. ball — a great time
  3. perch — the fish
  4. ball — a dance
  5. cell — in biology
  6. spell — a short time
  7. spell — letters
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. court — of law
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — low music
  12. cell — a phone
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. court — of a king
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. spell — magic
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. wake — a trail
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. court — for sport

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