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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. toast — bread
  3. object — to protest
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. drill — a practice
  7. object — a thing
  8. degree — from a university
  9. rock — a stone
  10. object — an aim
  11. court — of a king
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. degree — temperature
  15. drill — army training
  16. drill — the tool
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. court — for sport
  19. bowl — to roll
  20. rock — music
  21. court — of law
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. degree — an amount
  24. can — to be able to

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