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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. roll — a cake
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. present — a gift
  5. roll — a list
  6. capital — a big letter
  7. present — the time now
  8. capital — a city
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. squash — the sport
  11. squash — to crush
  12. capital — money
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. saw — the tool
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. saw — the tool
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. season — of the year
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. present — there

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