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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: rock · degree · bowl · row · stand · object · ball · kid

  1. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. stand — to bear
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. object — a thing
  6. row — a line
  7. rock — music
  8. rock — a stone
  9. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. row — to paddle
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. kid — child
  18. degree — from a university
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. ball — a great time
  21. degree — an amount
  22. ball — a dance
  23. object — an aim
  24. object — to protest

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