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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. foot — a measure
  3. fine — all right
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. fall — the season
  7. spell — letters
  8. kid — child
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. spell — magic
  12. kid — to tease
  13. board — to get on
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. spell — a short time
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. board — a committee
  21. fall — to drop
  22. fall — to drop
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. fine — a penalty

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