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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The water is too ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. wake — a trail
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. cold — an illness
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. rest — what's left
  11. track — a song
  12. season — in sport
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. cold — not warm
  16. track — a path
  17. track — to keep track
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. wake — to stop sleeping
  21. rest — a break
  22. season — of the year
  23. kick — in football
  24. trunk — of a car

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