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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. bat — the animal
  3. race — a contest
  4. firm — a company
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. squash — to crush
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. saw — the tool
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. saw — the tool
  15. race — the arms race
  16. squash — the sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. firm — decided
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. race — humankind
  24. firm — steady

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