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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. mark — a trace
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. present — the time now
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. present — a gift
  10. hand — help
  11. race — a contest
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. stand — to bear
  14. race — the arms race
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. present — there
  19. hand — in cards
  20. race — humankind
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. mark — a grade

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