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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.

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: bound · bear · ball · row · bass · deal · racket · cold

  1. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. The water is too ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. row — to paddle
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. deal — to handle
  6. ball — a dance
  7. bear — the animal
  8. cold — not warm
  9. bear — the animal
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. cold — an illness
  12. bound — certain
  13. ball — a great time
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. bass — low music
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. row — a line
  18. bass — the fish
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. bound — tied together
  22. bound — obliged
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. deal — an agreement

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