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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.

Make a worksheet

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: straw · pass · land · scale · racket · bowl · row · fork

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. row — a line
  4. land — to come down
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. scale — size or range
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. pass — a permit
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. row — to paddle
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. land — ground
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. scale — in music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. bowl — a football final

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