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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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. degree — an amount
  4. cap — a lid
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. rush — hurry
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. hand — in cards
  11. scale — in music
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. cap — of ice
  16. cap — a hat
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. hand — help
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. degree — temperature
  23. rash — hasty
  24. bowl — a dish

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