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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. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  21. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. vault — in gymnastics
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. tear — to rip
  5. season — of the year
  6. current — of water
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. season — in sport
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. degree — an amount
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. degree — from a university
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. mine — for digging
  17. tear — from crying
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. tear — from crying
  20. vault — a safe
  21. bowl — a dish
  22. current — electric
  23. current — happening now
  24. degree — temperature

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