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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: mark · wave · court · chest · key · calf · fall · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. court — for sport
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. key — the most important part
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. key — for a lock
  7. fall — to drop
  8. court — of law
  9. key — in music
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. chest — of your body
  12. mark — a trace
  13. fall — to drop
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. chest — a box
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. chest — of your body
  19. fall — the season
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. court — of a king
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. mark — a grade

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