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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.

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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: bowl · bass · perch · cell · row · rule · temple · hand

  1. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. perch — the fish
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. row — to paddle
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. bass — the fish
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. cell — a phone
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. rule — a law
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. bass — low music
  15. temple — side of the head
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. cell — in biology
  18. hand — in cards
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. hand — help
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. rule — to rule out
  23. rule — government
  24. bowl — a dish

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