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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  11. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. field — farmland
  11. calf — of the leg
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. field — for sport
  18. field — a subject
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. swing — music
  22. pass — to succeed
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. swing — to play on

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