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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. rash — hasty
  4. staff — employees
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. club — for dancing
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. club — for golf
  11. rash — a series
  12. bat — the animal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. staff — a stick
  16. fork — in a road
  17. staff — employees
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. bowl — to roll
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. club — a group
  24. cabinet — ministers

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