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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. pass — a permit
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. kid — to tease
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. patient — calm and waiting
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. kid — child
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. mine — for digging
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. date — the fruit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. season — of the year
  24. patient — a sick person

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