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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. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. lash — to lash out
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. degree — an amount
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. fall — the season
  10. degree — from a university
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. fall — to drop
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. fall — to drop
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mine — for digging
  23. degree — temperature
  24. pound — a weight

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