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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 116 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 were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. craft — a handicraft
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. chip — for betting
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. field — a subject
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. bear — the animal
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. craft — a skill
  17. field — for sport
  18. craft — boats
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. chip — to eat
  21. field — farmland
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bear — the animal
  24. branch — a division

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