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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. can — a tin
  6. ground — a position
  7. march — the month
  8. can — to be able to
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bear — the animal
  11. can — a tin
  12. band — a ring
  13. bear — the animal
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. march — music
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. kick — in football
  21. march — the month
  22. band — a music group
  23. ground — crushed
  24. bear — to put up with

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