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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bass — the fish
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. rest — a break
  6. mine — for digging
  7. ground — a position
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. bank — of a river
  10. ground — the earth
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. bass — low music
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bank — for money
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. rest — what's left
  23. bank — for money
  24. ground — crushed

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