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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. spring — the season
  7. bore — to tire
  8. spring — a coil
  9. track — to keep track
  10. spring — of water
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. pound — a weight
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bore — to drill
  17. dip — to dunk
  18. game — wild animals
  19. track — a song
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. game — a match
  22. track — a path
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. dip — to sink

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