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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. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. When was this ________________ built?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. ball — a dance
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. wave — with your hand
  8. kid — child
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. kid — to tease
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. row — a line
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. bass — low music
  15. wave — of the sea
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. track — a path
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. track — a song
  21. row — to paddle
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. bass — the fish
  24. track — to keep track

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