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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. club — for golf
  3. cap — a lid
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. degree — an amount
  6. bowl — to roll
  7. present — there
  8. mug — a cup
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. present — a gift
  11. degree — temperature
  12. club — a group
  13. mug — to rob
  14. club — for dancing
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mine — for digging
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — a hat
  19. cap — of ice
  20. mug — a face
  21. wake — a trail
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. degree — from a university
  24. present — the time now

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