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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. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  2. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  8. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. date — the fruit
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. wind — moving air
  7. kick — with a leg
  8. capital — a city
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. wind — to turn a key
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. capital — money
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a great time
  16. row — to paddle
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. ball — a dance
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. row — a line
  24. kick — in football

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