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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · scale · drill · row · kid · roll · pitch · fan

  1. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. We're on a ________________ here.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. scale — in music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. kid — child
  6. drill — a practice
  7. drill — army training
  8. kid — to tease
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. row — to paddle
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. roll — a cake
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. roll — on a roll
  16. pitch — completely
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. bowl — a dish
  19. row — a line
  20. drill — the tool
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. roll — a list

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