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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. row — a line
  3. degree — an amount
  4. chip — in a computer
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. cap — a hat
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. degree — from a university
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. hand — in cards
  12. cap — a lid
  13. chip — to eat
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. cap — of ice
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. wake — a trail
  18. row — to paddle
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. degree — temperature
  23. chip — for betting
  24. hand — help

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