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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 120 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. degree — an amount
  3. bass — low music
  4. bank — for money
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. pop — to visit
  7. row — a quarrel
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. row — to paddle
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. degree — from a university
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bass — the fish
  14. pop — soda
  15. degree — temperature
  16. row — a line
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. wound — an injury
  21. bowl — a football final
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. pop — music
  24. vault — a safe

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