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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: arm · ground · mate · bowl · wind · nail · march · roll

  1. The ________________ went through the wall.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. march — the month
  5. mate — a partner
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. mate — to breed
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. roll — a list
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. march — the month
  13. ground — a position
  14. wind — moving air
  15. roll — a cake
  16. march — music
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. ground — the earth
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. ground — crushed
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mate — a friend

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