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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: drill · jam · scale · ball · kid · bowl · deal · land

  1. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. ball — a dance
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. land — ground
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. scale — in music
  8. drill — a practice
  9. land — to come down
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. drill — the tool
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. deal — to handle
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. drill — army training
  21. kid — to tease
  22. scale — size or range
  23. kid — child
  24. ball — a great time

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