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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. This piece is in a major ________________.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. mug — a cup
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. ball — a great time
  7. field — farmland
  8. row — a line
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. mug — a face
  11. key — for a lock
  12. field — for sport
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. lash — a whip stroke
  16. bass — the fish
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. key — the most important part
  19. ball — a dance
  20. key — in music
  21. field — a subject
  22. row — to paddle
  23. bass — low music
  24. mug — to rob

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