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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: saw · mark · kick · ball · row · land · object · season

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. row — to paddle
  3. object — a thing
  4. mark — a grade
  5. land — ground
  6. object — an aim
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. season — of the year
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. ball — a great time
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — the tool
  14. season — in sport
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. mark — a trace
  19. row — a line
  20. land — to come down
  21. land — a country
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. kick — in football
  24. ball — a dance

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