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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: season · bowl · row · chip · pop · lean · court · bass

  1. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. The ball is in your ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. court — for sport
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. bass — the fish
  6. court — of a king
  7. lean — thin
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. pop — music
  10. chip — for betting
  11. pop — soda
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. season — in sport
  14. lean — to bend
  15. court — of law
  16. pop — to visit
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. row — a line
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. chip — to eat
  21. season — of the year
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bass — low music
  24. lean — to rest against

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