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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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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: bowl · calf · land · snap · stem · deal · safe · court

  1. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. court — of a king
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. land — to come down
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. deal — to handle
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. court — of law
  10. safe — out of danger
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. stem — to come from
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. court — for sport
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. snap — to click
  18. land — a country
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. land — ground
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. stem — of a plant

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