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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: fall · ball · bowl · date · object · march · foot · bear

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. ball — a great time
  3. fall — to drop
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. march — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bear — the animal
  9. object — an aim
  10. march — the month
  11. foot — the bottom
  12. foot — a measure
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. ball — a dance
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. fall — the season
  17. bear — the animal
  18. object — a thing
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. march — the month
  23. date — the fruit
  24. fall — to drop

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