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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: racket · row · court · stand · land · saw · clip · bowl

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. land — to come down
  3. clip — for paper
  4. clip — a video
  5. row — to paddle
  6. saw — the tool
  7. stand — to bear
  8. saw — the tool
  9. clip — to cut
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. land — a country
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. land — ground
  17. court — for sport
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. row — a line
  21. court — of a king
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. court — of law

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