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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. degree — from a university
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rule — a law
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chest — a box
  10. hand — in cards
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bowl — a dish
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — music
  16. degree — an amount
  17. rule — government
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. suit — to fit
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. suit — in cards

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