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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. saw — past of 'see'
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. tube — the underground
  8. staff — employees
  9. saw — the tool
  10. season — of the year
  11. kick — in football
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. saw — the tool
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. staff — employees
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. tube — a container
  23. staff — a stick
  24. season — in sport

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