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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. toast — bread
  3. object — a thing
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. kid — to tease
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. kid — child
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. game — wild animals
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. object — to protest
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. sharp — clever
  22. game — a match
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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