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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I've got to change the light ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. bowl — a football final
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. degree — an amount
  5. land — ground
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. land — a country
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bound — certain
  11. bulb — of a plant
  12. season — of the year
  13. craft — a handicraft
  14. land — to come down
  15. degree — from a university
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. bound — obliged
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. degree — temperature
  20. bulb — for light
  21. season — in sport
  22. craft — a skill
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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