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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: toast · cold · kick · bowl · row · cabinet

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. The water is too ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. row — to paddle
  3. row — a line
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. kick — in football
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. toast — bread
  13. cold — an illness
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. cold — not warm
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. toast — a drink to someone

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