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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. season — of the year
  4. season — in sport
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. face — to confront
  10. shower — rain
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. mate — to breed
  14. hide — animal skin
  15. mate — a partner
  16. tube — a container
  17. mate — a friend
  18. shower — to wash
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. tube — the underground
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. face — to point toward
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. face — part of the head

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