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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. I can't ________________ this cold.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. net — in sport
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. net — for catching
  6. net — after costs
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. drill — the tool
  11. game — wild animals
  12. stand — to bear
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. game — a match
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. hand — help
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. pit — a hole
  20. drill — army training
  21. pit — in a race
  22. stand — for spectators
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. drill — a practice

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