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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 120 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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  5. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  6. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. degree — temperature
  3. degree — an amount
  4. bowl — a football final
  5. calf — a young animal
  6. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. craft — boats
  9. calf — of the leg
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. scale — in music
  12. kid — child
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. degree — from a university
  16. kid — to tease
  17. scale — size or range
  18. craft — a skill
  19. bound — obliged
  20. bound — tied together
  21. band — a music group
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. bound — certain
  24. band — a ring

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