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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. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a football final
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. rash — a series
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. game — a match
  7. degree — temperature
  8. degree — an amount
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. spring — a coil
  12. plane — a tool
  13. game — wild animals
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. safe — a strongbox
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. degree — from a university
  18. spring — the season
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. rash — hasty
  22. spring — of water
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bowl — a dish

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