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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. kick — in football
  6. chip — to eat
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. craft — boats
  10. rash — hasty
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. scale — size or range
  14. craft — a skill
  15. fork — in a road
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. rash — a series
  23. scale — in music
  24. chip — in a computer

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