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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 116 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: straw · race · pitcher · bowl · game · suit · ball · bulb

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  11. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. game — a match
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. suit — to fit
  10. straw — a straw man
  11. race — a contest
  12. game — wild animals
  13. bulb — for light
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. race — humankind
  16. ball — a dance
  17. suit — clothes
  18. race — the arms race
  19. ball — a great time
  20. suit — in cards
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. bulb — of a plant
  24. bulb — for light

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