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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. tube — the underground
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. craft — a skill
  6. pitch — completely
  7. tube — in a tire
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. rock — to move gently
  12. kick — in football
  13. rock — a stone
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. tube — a container
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. rock — music
  24. craft — boats

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