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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. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. snap — to click
  7. mate — to breed
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. club — for golf
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — a tin
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. club — a group
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. wound — an injury
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. can — to be able to
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. mate — a partner
  24. mate — a friend

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