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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. She's very handy with a ________________.
  24. False peace will not ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. land — ground
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. land — to come down
  5. last — final
  6. land — a country
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. kick — in football
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. foot — part of the body
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. pitch — completely
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. last — finally
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. saw — the tool
  24. last — to go on

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