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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: roll · bowl · pitcher · sharp · pound · wind · rush · key

  1. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. rush — hurry
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. sharp — clever
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. wind — moving air
  10. roll — a cake
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. key — in music
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. key — the most important part
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. key — for a lock
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. pound — a weight

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