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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: bowl · net · tube · pitcher · scale · craft · rest · kid

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. tube — the underground
  3. rest — a break
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. scale — in music
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. craft — boats
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. net — after costs
  14. tube — a container
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. net — in sport
  18. kid — to tease
  19. net — for catching
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. scale — size or range
  22. rest — what's left
  23. craft — a skill
  24. rest — what's left

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