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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 116 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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: bat · bay · ball · bear · field · row · lean · bowl

  1. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — to put up with
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. lean — to bend
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. lean — thin
  11. ball — a great time
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bear — the animal
  14. lean — to rest against
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. field — for sport
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ball — a dance
  19. row — a line
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. bat — for baseball
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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