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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: present · last · cell · bowl · racket · roll

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. present — there
  4. cell — in biology
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. cell — a phone
  7. last — to go on
  8. present — the time now
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. present — a gift
  11. roll — a list
  12. last — final
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. last — finally
  16. roll — a cake
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. racket — for tennis

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