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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: bat · kick · jam · band · foot · bowl · row · snap

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. row — to paddle
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. row — a line
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. jam — in traffic
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. kick — in football
  14. band — a music group
  15. snap — to click
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. foot — a measure
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. band — a ring

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