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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. wind — moving air
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. kick — in football
  9. suit — in cards
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. suit — to fit
  13. squash — the sport
  14. wind — moving air
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. suit — clothes
  22. game — a match
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. calf — a young animal

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