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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. present — a gift
  3. spell — letters
  4. present — there
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. degree — temperature
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. current — happening now
  9. rest — a break
  10. file — a line of people
  11. current — electric
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. spell — a short time
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. present — the time now
  16. file — a document
  17. degree — an amount
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a tool
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. current — of water
  23. bowl — to roll
  24. degree — from a university

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