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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.

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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: bowl · lie · row · mate · nail · fork · bat · bass

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. fork — in a road
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mate — a partner
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. row — a line
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. lie — to recline
  12. bat — the animal
  13. mate — a friend
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. row — to paddle
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. bowl — to roll

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