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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. hand — help
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. branch — a division
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. hand — in cards
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. rock — music

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