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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. degree — from a university
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. board — to get on
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. craft — boats
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. degree — an amount
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. board — a committee
  17. degree — temperature
  18. craft — a skill
  19. snap — to click
  20. sharp — clever
  21. drill — army training
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. drill — the tool
  24. board — a flat piece

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