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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: pound · track · vault · bowl · saw · pitcher · racket · hand

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. hand — in cards
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. track — a song
  9. pound — a weight
  10. hand — help
  11. vault — in gymnastics
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. vault — a safe
  14. track — to keep track
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. track — a path
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. saw — the tool
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. saw — the tool
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. pitcher — a jug

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