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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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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: game · stick · row · bowl · bat · tube · temple · pound

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. When was this ________________ built?
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. row — to paddle
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. game — a match
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. tube — a container
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. pound — a weight
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. game — wild animals
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. tube — the underground
  19. temple — side of the head
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. pound — for dogs

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