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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: scale · wound · pit · straw · mark · bowl · ball · rest

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. mark — a trace
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. scale — size or range
  6. rest — what's left
  7. pit — a hole
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. scale — in music
  11. ball — a great time
  12. rest — what's left
  13. wound — an injury
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. rest — a break
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. pit — in a race
  22. mark — a grade
  23. wound — an injury
  24. straw — to clutch at straws

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