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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. band — a music group
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bear — the animal
  6. band — a ring
  7. mug — a face
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. court — for sport
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. court — of a king
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. bear — the animal
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. court — of law
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mug — to rob
  24. pitch — completely

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