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

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. craft — a skill
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. content — happy
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. craft — boats
  16. content — the amount
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. content — videos and posts

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