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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 116 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 was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. can — a tin
  3. court — for sport
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. degree — from a university
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. band — a music group
  8. can — a tin
  9. court — of law
  10. degree — an amount
  11. band — a ring
  12. pound — a weight
  13. net — after costs
  14. degree — temperature
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. net — for catching
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. wind — moving air
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. can — to be able to
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. net — in sport
  24. court — of a king

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