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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. present — a gift
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. spring — the season
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. spring — of water
  8. tube — the underground
  9. press — a publisher
  10. present — there
  11. tube — a container
  12. bay — to keep at bay
  13. clip — a video
  14. press — to push
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. spring — a coil
  18. clip — for paper
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. press — newspapers
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. clip — to cut

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