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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: game · sharp · foot · leaves · cap · bowl · spring · bear

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  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. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — clever
  3. leaves — lets stay
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. spring — the season
  6. game — a match
  7. cap — of ice
  8. game — wild animals
  9. bear — the animal
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. spring — a coil
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. cap — a hat
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cap — a lid
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bear — the animal
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. spring — of water
  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