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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's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. current — electric
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. snap — to speak sharply
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. degree — temperature
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. scale — in music
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. degree — from a university
  16. game — a match
  17. degree — an amount
  18. current — of water
  19. scale — size or range
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. snap — to click
  22. cabinet — a cupboard
  23. current — happening now
  24. game — wild animals

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