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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. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  13. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. A black ________________ roamed the forest.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. field — for sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. calf — of the leg
  13. kid — to tease
  14. rash — hasty
  15. chair — a leader
  16. kid — child
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. rash — a series
  21. field — a subject
  22. field — farmland
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. bear — the animal

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