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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: bowl · wind · kid · craft · deal · ball · row · pop

  1. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  8. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. deal — to handle
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  8. row — to paddle
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kid — to tease
  11. kid — child
  12. wind — moving air
  13. craft — boats
  14. pop — to visit
  15. row — a line
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. craft — a skill
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. pop — soda
  21. pop — music
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. ball — a dance
  24. bowl — a dish

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