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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. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. degree — from a university
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. degree — temperature
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. bowl — a football final
  7. squash — to crush
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bulb — for light
  11. rule — government
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. kid — child
  18. kid — to tease
  19. squash — the sport
  20. degree — an amount
  21. rule — a law
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bulb — for light

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