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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. A ________________ is just a dried plum.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. prune — to trim
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. drill — army training
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. prune — to trim
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. ground — crushed
  19. bat — the animal
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. ground — a position
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. prune — the fruit

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