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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. craft — boats
  3. craft — a skill
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. toast — the most admired
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. kick — in football
  9. clip — for paper
  10. toast — bread
  11. clip — to cut
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. spring — a coil
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. spring — the season
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. clip — a video
  18. spring — of water

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