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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 120 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. pass — a permit
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. hand — help
  11. season — of the year
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. pass — to spend time
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. hand — in cards
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. chair — a leader
  23. deal — to handle
  24. chair — to sit on

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