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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. net — for catching
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. clip — to cut
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rush — hurry
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rest — what's left
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. clip — a video
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. clip — for paper
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rest — a break
  21. net — in sport
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. net — after costs

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