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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bowl · dip · foot · land · saw · coach · season · kick

  1. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — in sport
  4. saw — the tool
  5. land — to come down
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. foot — a measure
  12. season — of the year
  13. dip — to sink
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. kick — in football
  17. land — a country
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. land — ground
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. saw — the tool
  24. foot — the bottom

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