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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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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: roll · ball · staff · can · bowl · stick · wake · bass

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. staff — employees
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bass — low music
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. can — a tin
  14. bass — the fish
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. can — a tin
  18. wake — a trail
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. ball — a great time
  21. staff — employees
  22. can — to be able to
  23. ball — a dance
  24. roll — a list

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