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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: cold · march · bowl · track · deal · ball · foot · wake

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  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. deal — an agreement
  2. cold — not warm
  3. march — the month
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. march — the month
  10. foot — a measure
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. march — music
  13. deal — to handle
  14. track — a song
  15. ball — a dance
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. track — a path
  20. wake — a trail
  21. track — to keep track
  22. cold — an illness
  23. deal — a big deal
  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