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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. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — a weight
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. scale — in music
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bat — the animal
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a dance
  18. roll — a cake
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. roll — a list
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. scale — size or range
  24. arm — part of the body

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