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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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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 · bore · ruler · bowl · cold · deal · chip · bass

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  21. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. bore — to drill
  5. rock — music
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. bowl — to roll
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. bass — low music
  13. cold — not warm
  14. rock — a stone
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. bass — the fish
  19. chip — to eat
  20. cold — an illness
  21. chip — for betting
  22. deal — to handle
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. ruler — for measuring

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