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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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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: ball · bowl · club · pass · row · cold · bay · net

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. My mare is ________________ in color.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — in sport
  5. bay — to keep at bay
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cold — an illness
  8. row — a line
  9. club — for golf
  10. cold — not warm
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. net — for catching
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. club — for dancing
  16. ball — a great time
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. pass — a permit
  20. ball — a dance
  21. bay — a horse colour
  22. net — after costs
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. club — a group

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