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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: kick · wind · kid · bowl · arm · bay · bear · row

  1. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. kid — child
  11. bear — the animal
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. kick — in football
  14. row — a line
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. kid — to tease
  17. wind — moving air
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. row — to paddle
  20. bear — the animal
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. wind — moving air

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