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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 116 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: sharp · mark · band · bowl · pitcher · ruler · land · saw

  1. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. band — a music group
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. saw — the tool
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. band — a ring
  14. land — to come down
  15. mark — a trace
  16. mark — a grade
  17. land — ground
  18. saw — the tool
  19. land — a country
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. sharp — clever
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. band — a rubber band

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