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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. rash — hasty
  5. branch — a division
  6. file — a line of people
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. rash — a series
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. degree — temperature
  12. pop — to visit
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. pop — music
  16. file — a tool
  17. degree — from a university
  18. degree — an amount
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. pop — soda
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. file — a document

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