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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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Word bank
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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: calf · bowl · season · cell · race · shower

  1. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. race — the arms race
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. shower — rain
  5. cell — in biology
  6. race — humankind
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. race — a contest
  9. shower — to wash
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. season — in sport
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. cell — a phone
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. season — of the year
  18. 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