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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. drill — a practice
  5. season — of the year
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. drill — army training
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. tear — from crying
  10. bank — for money
  11. bank — for money
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. calf — of the leg
  17. bank — of a river
  18. season — in sport
  19. foot — a measure
  20. tear — to rip
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. drill — the tool
  23. tear — from crying
  24. bowl — a football final

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