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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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 · arm · bowl · nail · fan · row · rash · swing

  1. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. rash — a series
  3. row — a line
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. swing — to play on
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. roll — a list
  13. bowl — to roll
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. row — to paddle
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rash — hasty
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. swing — in golf
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. swing — music
  23. roll — a cake
  24. nail — on a finger

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