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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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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: fork · ball · lash · bat · bowl · arm · degree · club

  1. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. club — for golf
  5. bat — the animal
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lash — an eyelash
  8. degree — temperature
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. fork — in a road
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. club — for dancing
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. ball — a dance
  16. ball — a round shape
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. degree — an amount
  19. arm — a part of something
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. ball — a great time
  22. degree — from a university
  23. club — a group
  24. arm — part of the body

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