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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 got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — a penalty
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. hand — in cards
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. season — of the year
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. lean — thin
  8. season — in sport
  9. fine — all right
  10. lean — to rest against
  11. bore — to drill
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. rash — a series
  15. bore — to tire
  16. lean — to bend
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. hand — help
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. rash — hasty
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. fine — high quality

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