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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. temple — side of the head
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. chest — of your body
  9. tube — the underground
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. race — the arms race
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. race — a contest
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. mine — for digging
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. race — humankind
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. tube — a container
  24. bowl — to roll

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