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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 120 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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. stand — to bear
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. scale — in music
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. bore — to tire
  9. bore — to drill
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. season — in sport
  12. ground — a position
  13. stand — for spectators
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. band — a ring
  16. ground — crushed
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. scale — size or range
  19. band — a music group
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. ground — the earth
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. calf — of the leg

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