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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 116 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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  20. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hand — in cards
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. cap — of ice
  7. race — humankind
  8. race — a contest
  9. cap — a hat
  10. ball — a great time
  11. hand — help
  12. cap — a lid
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. cell — in biology
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. race — the arms race
  20. bark — to shout
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. cell — a phone
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. ball — a dance

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