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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: cap · pound · calf · sharp · rash · bowl · game · drill

  1. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. It's one o'clock ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. calf — a young animal
  4. rash — hasty
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. game — wild animals
  7. rash — a series
  8. drill — the tool
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. cap — a lid
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. game — a match
  15. cap — a hat
  16. drill — a practice
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. sharp — clever
  19. pound — a weight
  20. cap — of ice
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. sharp — exactly
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. calf — a young animal

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