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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. pop — music
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. suit — clothes
  8. pop — to visit
  9. scale — in music
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. suit — in cards
  13. bound — obliged
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — an amount
  16. bound — certain
  17. degree — from a university
  18. suit — to fit
  19. scale — size or range
  20. degree — temperature
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. saw — the tool

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