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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. squash — the sport
  4. craft — a skill
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. march — the month
  7. squash — to crush
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. cap — a hat
  13. cap — a lid
  14. tube — a container
  15. cap — of ice
  16. craft — boats
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. craft — a handicraft
  19. tube — the underground
  20. march — the month
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. march — music
  23. tube — in a tire
  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