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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: bowl · foot · ground · row · kick · scale · plane · last

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. kick — in football
  3. ground — a position
  4. row — to paddle
  5. ground — the earth
  6. last — finally
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. foot — the bottom
  10. ground — crushed
  11. scale — size or range
  12. plane — a tool
  13. last — final
  14. foot — a measure
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. scale — in music
  17. foot — part of the body
  18. last — to go on
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. row — a line
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. kick — with a leg

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