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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  14. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. row — to paddle
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. pound — a weight
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. tear — from crying
  9. game — a match
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. tear — from crying
  14. pound — for dogs
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. ball — a dance
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. tear — to rip
  19. ball — a great time
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. row — a line
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. game — a kind of play

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