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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: bowl · roll · game · season · hand · dip · bear · date

  1. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bear — the animal
  3. date — the fruit
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. roll — a list
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. bear — the animal
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. season — of the year
  12. hand — in cards
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. dip — to sink
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. hand — help
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. season — in sport
  23. game — wild animals
  24. game — a match

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