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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: roll · chest · stick · cell · bowl · bay

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. cell — in biology
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chest — of your body
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. chest — a box
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. roll — a list
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chest — of your body
  16. cell — a phone
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bay — a horse colour

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