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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  21. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. season — in sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. board — to get on
  6. season — of the year
  7. spell — a short time
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. patient — a sick person
  10. spell — magic
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. pound — a weight
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. board — a flat piece
  21. patient — calm and waiting
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. board — a committee
  24. season — to add flavour

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