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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: row · race · bowl · sharp · roll · ball · pop · hide

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. race — humankind
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. pop — soda
  6. race — the arms race
  7. ball — a great time
  8. race — a contest
  9. row — a line
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. roll — a list
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. roll — a cake
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. row — a quarrel
  17. row — to paddle
  18. pop — to visit
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pop — music
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. sharp — exactly

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