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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: ball · bowl · wound · mouse · foot · cell · bat · toast

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. bat — the animal
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. wound — an injury
  8. ball — a dance
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. cell — in biology
  13. foot — a measure
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ball — a great time
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. bowl — to roll
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. toast — bread
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. wound — an injury
  23. cell — a phone
  24. mouse — for a computer

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