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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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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. pass — a permit
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. leaves — lets stay
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bark — to shout
  10. pass — to succeed
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. bark — of a tree
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. ground — crushed
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. ground — a position
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. leaves — to go away
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — music
  24. calf — of the leg

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