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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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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: land · pitch · lash · bowl · row · spell · roll · ball

  1. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. roll — a cake
  4. land — a country
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. land — ground
  7. spell — magic
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. spell — a short time
  10. roll — a list
  11. land — to come down
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. ball — a great time
  14. lash — a whip stroke
  15. pitch — completely
  16. row — to paddle
  17. spell — letters
  18. row — a line
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. ball — a dance
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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