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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. lie — to recline
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. pitch — completely
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. kick — in football
  9. object — an aim
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. object — to protest
  16. cap — a hat
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. cap — of ice
  20. cap — a lid
  21. court — for sport
  22. court — of law
  23. object — a thing
  24. court — of a king

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