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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 120 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: rest · fall · bark · ball · foot · object · ground · bowl

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  23. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. ground — the earth
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. fall — to drop
  5. foot — a measure
  6. ball — a great time
  7. rest — what's left
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. ground — a position
  10. fall — the season
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bark — to shout
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. fall — to drop
  15. object — a thing
  16. rest — a break
  17. object — an aim
  18. ball — a dance
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. object — to protest
  23. bark — of a tree
  24. ball — a round shape

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