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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: bat · bowl · game · toast · wave · season · race · foot

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. race — a contest
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. season — of the year
  8. race — the arms race
  9. foot — a measure
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. race — humankind
  15. game — wild animals
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. wave — with your hand
  20. season — in sport
  21. bat — the animal
  22. toast — bread
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. bowl — a dish

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