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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. kick — in football
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. ground — a position
  7. ground — the earth
  8. bear — the animal
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. safe — a strongbox
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. squash — to crush
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. bear — the animal
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ground — crushed
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. wind — moving air

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