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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 120 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: ball · leaves · bowl · season · rock · deal

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. ball — a great time
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. season — in sport
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. deal — to handle
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. rock — a stone
  18. leaves — of a tree

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