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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 120 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: calf · cell · pitcher · hide · deal · leaves · court · club

  1. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. court — for sport
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. club — for dancing
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. deal — to handle
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. court — of a king
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. cell — a phone
  22. court — of law
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. cell — in biology

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