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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: court · fall · calf · fine · bay · mine · stem · last

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  17. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. fall — to drop
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. court — of law
  7. court — for sport
  8. last — to go on
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. last — finally
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fall — the season
  16. bay — a part of the sea
  17. stem — of a plant
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. mine — for digging
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. last — final
  24. fall — to drop

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