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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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. ground — the earth
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. ground — crushed
  6. ground — a position
  7. squash — to crush
  8. court — of law
  9. chair — a leader
  10. court — of a king
  11. race — a contest
  12. race — humankind
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. race — the arms race
  19. squash — the sport
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. court — for sport
  24. safe — a strongbox

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