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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: roll · rock · file · bat · hide · rash · board · bowl

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. rock — music
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. file — a line of people
  5. roll — a list
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. board — to get on
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rash — a series
  16. file — a document
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. roll — a cake
  19. file — a tool
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. board — a committee
  22. rash — hasty
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. board — a flat piece

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