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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. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. fall — to drop
  5. fall — the season
  6. toast — a drink to someone
  7. season — in sport
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. chip — to eat
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. fine — all right
  13. chip — in a computer
  14. kid — to tease
  15. toast — bread
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fall — to drop
  19. season — of the year
  20. kid — child
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. chip — for betting
  24. fine — high quality

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