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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. tube — the underground
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. roll — a cake
  7. kick — in football
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. tube — a container
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. stem — to come from
  19. wind — moving air
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. kid — child
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. stem — a stem cell
  24. roll — a list

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