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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — a path
  5. rush — to hurry
  6. track — a song
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. track — to keep track
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. game — wild animals
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. stand — to bear
  16. game — a match
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. rush — hurry

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