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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. rest — what's left
  4. mug — a face
  5. last — finally
  6. last — final
  7. kid — child
  8. rest — a break
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. band — a ring
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. rest — what's left
  17. band — a music group
  18. mug — to rob
  19. last — to go on
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a dance
  22. kid — to tease
  23. mug — a cup
  24. calf — a young animal

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