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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 · pit · cell · row · game · jam · bowl · deal

  1. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. cell — in biology
  9. pit — in a race
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. roll — a cake
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. row — to paddle
  15. roll — a list
  16. cell — a phone
  17. game — a match
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. deal — to handle
  21. row — a line
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. pit — a hole
  24. deal — a big deal

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