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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: hide · roll · club · plane · nail · game · ground · bowl

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. roll — a cake
  4. game — wild animals
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. club — a group
  8. ground — crushed
  9. ground — a position
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. game — a match
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. club — for dancing
  14. plane — a tool
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. club — for golf
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. ground — the earth
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. roll — on a 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